I Wish You Knew
by Viridian Carn
Summary: Sakura Daidouji is the typical nerd...well, sort of. Until Syaoran Li - or Yelan Li, rather - forces her into a crazy Masquerade Ball. Will everything be alright? Or will Touya join the fun and tell everyone the truth? Because this nerd...is a millionaire
1. Forced

**_Viridian Carn_**_: Vidya here! Pfft! _(I just love that. So cute!) _Got bored a couple of days - actually, years - ago, and decided to finally write a story with an ending. It's a little rough, I think, but please bear with me. This story's to crazy to be true, and trust me, I know a lot about crazies - for example, me._

**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned Card Captor Sakura, but I don't, so what. I on those crazy twins/servants - I mean, household help - in the story, though.

Chapter One

"Are you sure about your hair, Miss Sakura?" a twenty-year old maid asked as she braided the amber brown locks of the young Sakura Kinomoto, the successor to the wealthy Kinomoto clan who was sitting in front of a vanity table inlaid with marble furnishings. "It's a shame to hide it from your friends at school,"

The seventeen-year old heiress merely smiled. She put on a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, even though she didn't need them, "I don't think I _do_ have friends there, Beatrice," a faint smiled appeared on her lips, "I'm afraid that they think I'm a nerd,"

"What people think may not always be what you really are," Beatrice said while she finished braiding Sakura's hair with a piece of black silk string. She looked at the clock, which now showed that it was already seven in the morning. "Now, miss, my brother is waiting for you outside." She paused, "I really don't understand why you don't want anybody to see you get to school."

"Beatrice, when people think that the only reason why you're in a school like Tomoeda High is because you're on a scholarship, I think it's better not to arrive in a Mercedes driven by a butler," Sakura said. She took hold of the blue bag that was on the table and slipped the strap over her shoulder. "Besides, the last time I asked Mother on the phone if I can take the bus to school, she told me it would stain the family's reputation. That's why everyone but Tomoyo thinks that my name is Sakura Daidouji. I'm lucky she's my cousin,"

"If only your parents could see you now," she said, admiring the way Sakura's brown hair shone in the faintest light like halcyon feathers, even though it had been tied in a way that restrained it, following her gentle movements that created small waves on the blue loose-fitting, knee-length skirt that she had paired with a plain white blouse. From afar, the illusion she wanted to create was complete – she looked like a typical bookworm coming to school.

A sad smile appeared on her lips, "They're still dealing with the family business in France, Beatrice. The only way they'd see is if I send them a picture, and who knows when _that _will happen," she joked, though her voice wavered. Sakura smiled one last time before leaving the room.

"That gives me an idea," Beatrice grinned, and approached Sakura's walk-in closet, which was full of beautiful, fashionable clothes her mother had sent from Paris, clothes she never used. The maid sighed, feeling that they were going to be wasted if Sakura didn't use them.

_Well, now's not the time to force Sakura into these clothes_, she thought, coming nearer to a far corner of the room-like closet, and found what she was looking for – a small cabinet Sakura had let her use to keep some of her things. Beatrice fumbled inside it until her hand caught a narrow canvas strap. She tugged at it until she had taken out a small box from the cabinet.

"I guess you're parents will be seeing you _real_ soon, Miss Sakura," she said, talking into the empty room. She took out a phone from her dress pocket and called her twin brother, "Hello? Peter, I need your help,"

Sakura sighed as Peter Usher, one of the many servants in the manor, drove the black Mercedes out of Raven's Valley and through the still-empty streets of Tomoeda. Even though it was already seven o'clock, the town residents still considered it too early to be out, mostly because the day before had been a Tuesday, one of the most hectic days people there ever had.

Just as they were about to drive past an intersection, Peter's cell phone rang, distracting Peter for a fraction of a second. Luckily, it took only a few seconds for him to regain his concentration. He struggled for a while to put on an earpiece attached to the phone, and put it in his ear.

"Good morning," he said, after turning on the loudspeaker. Sakura knew he didn't need to tell the caller who he was. The only people allowed to have a number of someone from their household were the Kinomotos themselves, or someone else from inside the estate.

"_Hello? Peter, I need your help,_" a voice rang through the car. Almost immediately, Peter turned off the loudspeaker, earning a curious look from Sakura.

"I'll do it," he spoke into the receiver a few moments later. "Give me a few minutes to get there,"

"You can drop me off here, Peter." Sakura told the driver, who nodded at her, though still confused. They were just a couple of feet from the gates of Tomoeda High, and she had more than enough time until her best friend and cousin, Daidouji Daidouji, arrived. She stepped off the black Mercedes, and smiled, "Thank you, Peter,"

She watched the car disappeared as Peter drove it around the block. Sighing, Sakura walked toward her homeroom, which wasn't long since it was on the ground floor of the main building.

As expected, the room was empty, so she took a hardbound copy of the original Hans Christian Andersen version of _Little Mermaid_. She looked out of the classroom window. "It's quiet today,"

Holding the book, she went outside, toward her favorite spot in the entire High, a patch of grass near the school gates. Nobody ever bothered her there, because whenever they did, they increased their chances to be late for class.

Suddenly, the sound of a rubber on gravel filled the air, and sitting up, she saw a black car coming nearer, but it didn't belong to the Kinomotos. She took a deep breath and continued reading. "It's the first time someone came this early,"

_It's only seven in the morning. School doesn't start in another hour. So tell me, what am I doing here?_

Syaoran Li took a bite of his sandwich, trying to tune out his mother's voice as their driver led their car to the gates of Tomoeda High. He sighed. Yelan Li had just arrived from a vacation in China and the first thing on her list when she came home seemed to be to bore her son to death, or at least, that's what Syaoran thought.

His mother raised her eyebrow and seeing that his son would never listen, she snapped her fingers right in front of Syaoran, who snapped back into reality almost immediately. "Syaoran, dear, you're almost eighteen and I need to make sure the business is secure by the time you need to take over. So –" she trailed off, waiting for her son's reaction.

Syaoran sighed, and leaned onto his seat. _Just a few more seconds, _he told himself as they neared the school gate. Surprisingly, he saw a black-haired girl walking into the school, sitting on the grass near the gate. _I thought I would be the first to get here_. _Isn't that Sakura?_ "So?" he asked his mother, trying hard to sound curious.

Yelan motioned for him to step out of the car. "So I think I should arrange for a marriage interview sometime soon. It would be much easier, don't you think?" she showed Syaoran a photo of a green-eyed girl smiling at the camera, her long, brown hair, flowing behind her in reckless abandon. Before Syaoran could say anything, however, Yelan put the photo back in her bag.

Gaping at his mother, Syaoran almost choked on his sandwich. "But…but," he searched his mind for an excuse, and his gaze fell on the girl, sitting innocently as she read a book. He lowered his voice, hoping that his mother thought he was hiding something from the girl, "Mom, I'm sorry, but could you keep this marriage interview stuff down? My girlfriend is over there," he pointed toward the girl, who still looked absorbed in her book. "She might hear you,"

_What in the world is happening?_ Sakura asked herself. One minute, she was alone; reading her book, the next minute, a strange-looking woman had her poised for an interview. She looked over the woman's shoulder, and saw Syaoran Li, the school's heartthrob – not to mention her worst enemy - pleading her silently to play along.

"So, _you're_ my son's girlfriend," the woman told her. Sakura had to try hard to keep herself from gaping at her. "I'm Yelan Li, Syaoran's mother. I'm afraid he never mentioned you before,"

_This woman looks familiar_, Sakura thought. "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret, ma'am," she stood up and bowed, the way her mother had told her to do when meeting someone important, which this woman obviously was. The Li family was nearly as prominent as the Kinomotos when it came to business, though not as secretive.

Yelan smiled at her, "What a nice girl," she said, "Well, I'm honored that Syaoran finally had some courage to tell me his secrets. He's lucky to have you, dear. What was your name again?"

"Sakura Daidouji," It was a lie she had told many times, mostly because if she told anyone outside her family and the Kinomoto household, giving her privacy was going to be the last thing on people's minds.

"Well, Miss Daidouji, my condolences," For a moment, Sakura thought she heard wrong, but when she saw Syaoran himself gape at his mother, she started to doubt her thoughts. "I admire you. For one thing, you managed to rein in a would-be playboy. I think it would be better if my husband knows about this, though he'll never believe unless he sees you." She thought for a moment, and took out an invitation from inside the car, "I would be delighted if you could come to charity medieval ball we've arranged for this weekend, with Syaoran, of course."

"Of course, that would be wonderful," Sakura tried hard to keep from laughing while she put the invitation in her pocket. It was priceless to see Tomoeda's most sought-after high-school heartthrob be labeled as a "playboy" by his own mother. The best she could manage, however, was a half-smile. She watched as Yelan smiled at her and proceeded toward her car. It didn't take long before she had driven away.

"You're in trouble, Li," Sakura asked, unsure, since "playboy" didn't exactly fit him. "What exactly was that about?"

Yelan looked at the girl, who seemed to be busy talking with Syaoran. She turned the car on and drove away, rummaging in the bag next to her for something. Finally, she took out at phone and dialed a number while she directed the car toward the Li estate.

"_Good morning, this is the Li Detective Agency_," a high-pitched voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Fuutie, I need you to do something," Yelan said, her own voice demanding.

"_Mom?_" the twenty-year old girl asked, doubtful, "_Is that you? What do you need…from a detective agency? Is Syaoran alright or did somebody finally have the guts to kidnap him?_"

"It's a shame. I was really hoping for a kidnapping. It would've been great publicity," Yelan told her daughter, amused. "I need you to find out everything about a girl named Sakura Daidouji,"

Syaoran stared at her. _Where has Sakura been? She's not sure if she wants to help me, the school heartthrob. She's lucky; she has the chance to pretend to be my _girlfriend._I mean, no one can hate me for long._

"Sorry about that," he said, though he didn't sound even a little bit apologetic, seeing that he was more annoyed than sorry. He scoffed, unable to contain himself. "But I guess meeting me is enough for you to forget about it,"

_Wait, she's hated me for years._

Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I guess you're just like all those other spoiled rich brats," she said, "Everyone else thinks you're the perfect Prince Charming,"

"Actually I am. Whoever told you Prince Charming _wasn't_ perfect must not have met me," Syaoran told her arrogantly, seeing that there wasn't any use trying to act nice when this girl already thought of him as conceited and obnoxious. "You're lucky, actually. You get to pretend to be my girlfriend. Maybe I could even help your little family and give them a few gifts. You know, so you won't need that scholarship. I bet they're just _dying_ to hear that,"

_I don't know what those girls see in him. He's horrible_, she thought, narrowing her eyes. "Alright, that's it," Sakura snapped. Almost immediately, she lost sight of all her etiquette lessons from her mother, and her tae kwon do sessions gained full access to her thoughts.

She tried to kick Syaoran in the knees so he would fall, but he caught her leg. He hit her just below her neck and pushed her down. Her glasses lay discarded next to her. Syaoran kneeled on the ground above her, keeping her arms down.

"Do you really think that's enough to bring me down?" Syaoran smirked, "Well, you don't know who you're dealing with,"

"Oh…my…gosh," they heard someone say, which provided enough distraction for Sakura to push Syaoran away, but it seemed that who spoke surprised her even more. It was Daidouji, looking accusingly at her as if she had just caught them doing something wrong.

"Tomoyo, I can explain," Sakura said, trying to keep her from leaving with the wrong idea.

Her cousin, however, had other plans, "Sakura, you don't need to explain." She said. For a moment, Sakura relaxed, but not after Daidouji finished her sentence, "You should've just told me you were dating Syaoran Li,"

"What?" Sakura and Syaoran gaped at her.

Peter smirked, sitting on the branches of a tree just outside the Tomoeda High campus. He laughed quietly, watching the scene below while he clutched a small, Polaroid camera. A picture came out of the camera. Peter took a deep breath before putting it inside his bag, which hung on a branch above him.

"I guess Miss Sakura can finally warm up to people," he sighed, "Even though that can basically mean her temper can lose control…" He picked up his phone, "Miss seems to be recovering from Alistair, Beatrice; you won't believe what I got,"

He heard his twin laugh at the other end, "_Peter, I_ never_believe anything you get_." He heard her say, "_I swear they're from another world,"_

"That's why I'm your brother, Bea," he said, smiling, "I live to surprise you, and you do the opposite,"

"_Yeah_," Beatrice answered, lowering her voice, "_Are you saying that I'm here to bore you?_"

Peter rolled his eyes, "You know, sis', you have such a _wonderful_ sense of reason,"

"_Don't you dare use sarcasm on me, Peter Hendrick Usher,_" she said, emphatically.

"Did I ever tell you have a great impersonation of mom when she's angry?"

"_Peter_!"

**_Vidya:_**_okay, so that's it, for the first chapter anyway. The sequel's based on your review - well if I get any, but I'm still hoping. Please R_


	2. Sterotypes

**I Wish You Knew**

_**Vidya**_: _Hello, guys! I'm back from…umm...let's just say I got to meet my "fans" there and everybody was shouting "Viridian!", and I felt so great, and then it turned bad when I realized they were actually cheering the girl behind me. I don't know what happened next…because I woke up. (pffft!) Anyway, I think the-more-you-hate-the-more-you-love stories are cliché so I'm mixing things up. Watch out for the rest of the story, guys; things are going to get…interesting. Well, I think it's interesting – for someone who hasn't written more than two chapters on my own novel. (Hey, don't blame me. I rewrote the first chapter a couple of times until the story changed from music to fantasy to ancient Japan to mythology to whatever it is right now.) I hope I can finish this story, so please, dear readers, review so I'll have INSPIRATION!_

_**Disclaimer**_: If I owned CCS, Sakura would be seventeen, have white-blonde hair and grey eyes, and wear a long-sleeved jacket with a wolf as a sidekick, but since I _don't _own it, we'll just have to settle for Sakura's auburn hair and sidekick/cousin.

**Chapter Two: **_**Stereotypes**_

"Well, it _did_ look like you were making out. I mean, that _did_ look like a hickey," Tomoyo pointed toward the bruise on Sakura's neck. "It's not too farfetched, you know,"

Syaoran raised a brow, brushing some dust away from his shoulder. He was just about to say something when Sakura covered his mouth. "Insult me one more time and I'm going to make sure you die," she picked up her glasses and put them on before Syaoran could look at her face.

"Why don't you tell me that...when you manage to pin me to the ground?" Syaoran rolled his eyes, removing her hand, "Because the last time, I thought it was the other way around,"

Sakura's eyes narrowed into slits, "You…you are a –"

"– a wonderful, handsome young boy," Tomoyo said quickly, and motioned toward the school bus, which was already pulling into the nearby parking lot. She lowered her voice, "Don't you start fighting. You know you'll both get into trouble, and you don't want your _reputations_ to get tainted, do you?"

"I never thought Tomoyo Daidouji could be this evil," Syaoran muttered while looked at the blonde girl in front of him. She was one of the most sought-after girls in the entire school, and he had never thought that she was this mischievous. "Why are you so popular anyway?"

Sakura scoffed, "That's funny, I thought the same way about you,"

A day had passed since the "incident", and Sakura admired Tomoyo for trying hard to keep her from clawing Syaoran's face, and get them to class on time. So far, she had succeeded to hold down her cousin's fury for the entire day. She saw Tomoyo smile, knowingly, like someone who knew something she didn't know about…

"A guy came by two days ago," Tomoyo finally told her, "He said he was looking for Sakura Kinomoto. His name's Daisuke, do you know him?"

"Tomoyo, what did you do?" Sakura said, as if accusing her of wearing rags to the prom, which, in her cousin's case, would be worse than wearing nothing at all. She turned around to face her cousin, who was walking beside her as passed through the halls toward the school garden.

She kept her smile plastered on her face, even when she started to open the garden gates. "You and Li look good together, but I think it would be better if you let your hair down and took off your glasses." Tomoyo said, "Oh, and wear that breathtaking Chanel vintage dress your f sent you. You know, for the ball. It would look absolutely wonderful if Syaoran wore an Armani suit to pair with it, too."

Sakura bit her lip, "I should never have let you read that invitation. I mean, I haven't gone to a Masque since I was thirteen," She sighed, regretfully. She looked for their table and sat down, "I can't believe I played along with his little act earlier. At least I only have to put up with him in Literature tomorrow. He's such a selfish, loathsome, obnoxious, insufferable little brat,"

Suddenly, a strong hand covered her mouth, and Sakura felt the stares of everyone in the garden. "_Who's_ a selfish, loathsome, obnoxious, insufferable little brat?" a familiar, yet annoyingly friendly, voice, asked.

Sakura tried to pull him away, but Syaoran moved his hand from her mouth to her chin and pulled her face close to his, "Aw, you look so cute," He made it look like Sakura was nodding her head.

Finally, she managed to shove him away, "Touch me one more time and I'll make sure you'll never have kids _ever_," she whispered sharply.

"My mother seems to think that you'll make sure I'll never have kids with anyone _but _you," Syaoran smirked. To everyone's surprise, Sakura blushed, and she started hating herself for doing so. Syaoran, on the other hand, looked at Tomoyo, "Can I sit here for a while? I need to talk with your cousin over here," he put his arm around Sakura's shoulder, and sat on the grass beside her. He whispered, "My mother knows an awful lot of these students. If she wants to know something, she can ask _anyone_, and I guess you don't want to be known as a fake, do you?'

"You are horrible," Sakura tried hard to keep herself from snarling.

Syaoran smiled, "Well, _you_ are adorable," he said, taking the seat beside her. "I could just kiss you right here,"

Sakura's sapphire blue eyes narrowed into slits, "I repeat, you…are…_horrible_," she muttered. "I can't believe I let you drag me into this,"

"Anyways, you know this is for show. I'm really _sorry_," he rolled his eyes at the word, "I'm sorry if you got dragged into this, or did you want me to _carry_ you?"

Sakura gritted her teeth, but before she could answer, Tomoyo put her hand between the two of them. "Will both of you_ ever_ stop fighting?" she whispered sharply, though careful to keep her voice down, "No one knows you hate each other enough to _kill_, but do you really want _everyone_ to know the truth? Because if you don't want them to, you should act more like the couple Yelan Li thinks you are. If you didn't notice, she planted a spy,"

Taking out a mirror from her pocket, Sakura turned it sideways to follow the direction Tomoyo was pointing at, and saw a strange man wearing a coat-and-tie suit just behind them. _And spies were supposed to be _subtle, Sakura thought. He seemed to be talking to a group of girls who were glaring suspiciously at Sakura. "We need to go somewhere to talk," she turned to her cousin, "Can you go with us?"

"That would be better I think. You could keep her from strangling me to death," Syaoran interrupted, grinning as the usually calm Sakura fumed.

"Well, Sakura, you're getting out of character. You're supposed to be a peaceful bookworm, not a raging heiress," Tomoyo whispered, which calmed her down, for the moment. Then, in a much louder voice, she added, "Of course, but where are we going?"

Sakura pointed toward the seventeen-year old boy beside her, "It depends whether this guy over here knows some place where we can talk," she said.

"Or, in your case, _yell_," Syaoran laughed at Sakura's annoyed expression. She started to punch him in the shoulder. He held up his hands in mock defeat, "Okay, okay, stop it. I'll take you somewhere,"

"It better not be the mall," Sakura said, which wiped the smile off Tomoyo's face.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow, "What kind of girl doesn't want to go to the mall?" he asked, utterly curious, "I mean, if you _are_ a girl,"

"You better watch your mouth, Li," Sakura said, standing up, taking out a piece of cloth from her skirt pocket and removing her glasses. She turned around to keep Syaoran from seeing her face while she wiped off some dust from the lenses and put them back up again. "Whatever it is you think I'm doing, I'm only doing it for my reputation. I'm afraid having a decent Li like your mother against me would be more than enough to make my father lose his temper,"

"You're afraid of having a decent Li against you?" Syaoran repeated. He stood up to follow the two cousins out of the campus, "Then what about me? I've been against you since the minute you threw me overboard our yacht on our class trip four years ago. Though I seem to remember that the girl who did that was much more…quiet,""

"Yes, you're a Li. The problem is you're not decent. Besides, I only threw you overboard because you kept bragging about your _yacht_. Don't you remember? A dolphin was swimming alongside the boat and you said you could swim better than it." Sakura smiled smugly, "You're driving,"

"I don't have a car. I left it at home," Syaoran said, matter-of-factly, scrambling to regain his pride.

Tomoyo sighed and handed him a car key, "Use mine then."

"You two will never let me go quietly, won't you?" Syaoran asked.

"Keep dreaming, Li" Sakura smirked, which didn't exactly fit with her bookworm look.

"Peter, do you even know this guy?" Beatrice Usher asked her brother, pointing toward the black-and-white photo. It was the one of her miss being held down onto the ground by a mysterious boy with disheveled brown hair. The boy was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. The photo had apparently been taken from above, so there was no use trying to find out who he was.

Peter handed her another photo. It showed the boy smirking as Sakura gaped at her cousin. The stranger had deep green eyes that surprisingly matched his hair. "That's why I said you won't believe me." He drew Beatrice's attention back toward the boy, "That…is Syaoran Li. I was watching the whole thing after I parked the car near the mall. It's only a couple of blocks from the school so I walked the rest of the way. That was when I saw Sakura talking to Yelan Li. Syaoran-kun was hiding behind his mother, trying to convince the miss to play along with him. It's funny; he wanted his mother to think Sakura was his girlfriend."

"I'm pretty sure he's just trying to get out of an engagement," Beatrice scoffed, but her eyes lit up as she smiled, "It sounds like something from a movie, though. Can you keep an eye on their 'relationship'?"

"Only if you promise to watch the emotional side,' Peter said.

The Usher twins smiled at each other in agreement. A while later, Peter left, with Beatrice's camera in a small bag that hung on his shoulder. From afar, he looked like a tourist going around Oceanvale with his loose-fitting slacks and t-shirt; otherwise, he looked like a news writer looking for a likely story.

"Things are finally starting to become more interesting around here," He said as he walked down the road toward the school, and suddenly remembered something important. He picked up his phone, and called his sister again, even though he had only seen her a few minutes ago, "Bea, where is Sakura again?"

_She tells me I'm not a decent Li, asks me to find a place where we can talk _and_ orders me to drive her and her cousin there. Who does this girl think she is?_ Syaoran thought as he drove Tomoyo's convertible through the narrow streets along Oceanvale Harbor. The top was down, and he didn't like how the people around them stared at him.

He saw Sakura, who sat behind him with her cousin, through the side view mirror. She looked fascinated by the people enjoying a beach party by the beach, even though summer was still a month away. For a moment, Syaoran saw a small hint of nostalgia in her eyes, and for the first time, he noticed how the sunlight glinted in her auburn hair, and the way it swayed in the wind.

"I don't know about you, Syaoran, but I don't think the beach is the right place to actually talk," Sakura said, waking Syaoran from his trance. "When I said anywhere but the mall, I literally meant _anywhere_ but the mall. You could have just taken us to some café just across the school, you know,"

Syaoran looked worriedly at Tomoyo, who shrugged, "Don't worry. She doesn't like going to the beach, so I guess that's to be expected," Tomoyo assured him, though it was clear that she was not about to tell him the reason why. "Where are we going anyway?"

"We have a beach house just near the Harbor," Syaoran told them, taking a left into a narrow, almost deserted path. It wasn't long, though, before he directed them toward a paved road where they saw the silhouette of a medieval-looking two-story house on a high cliff that overlooked the Tomoeda Harbor. The sun, setting in the background, made the entire view look like a painting.

The Li heir smiled, hearing someone gasp from the backseat, but it immediately faded when he saw that it was Tomoyo. He had chosen the location because he had wanted to see a surprised, or at least praising, expression from Sakura, who, on the other hand, just looked blankly at the scene as if she was used to seeing something like it – which she was.

"I think a Romanesque-style doesn't exactly fit into a beach setting," Sakura said, bluntly, "The Byzantine features need to be focused on the West perspective, since it's the vantage point when you're coming in from here. Nobody can actually enjoy the view from the ocean unless they're in a boat,"

The way she said all of this monotone left Syaoran agape until he finally managed to park the car in a garage next to the house. Tomoyo shook her head. "I know it sounds like I'm covering for her, but Sakura took a three-month Architectural Design workshop two years ago,"

"When she was fifteen?" Syaoran raised a brow, doubtful, "What fifteen-year old would take _Architectural Design _to spend her summer?" He looked at Sakura, and all his doubt faded.

"Sakura," he and Tomoyo chorused.

"Has she always been this…nerdy?" Syaoran asked.

Tomoyo shrugged again. "This time, I really don't know. She only started hanging out with me when we were fourteen. Back then, she was already like that. Anyway, why don't you ask her? You've been in the same class since grade school, haven't you?"

"To be honest, I never really noticed her, except when she pushed me off that tree in the third grade, and the time she threw me overboard, not to mention the time she tricked my date to last year's prom into bringing those crocus flowers I don't like so much," Syaoran said, which made Tomoyo raise a brow. "Hey, Daidouji, did you really take Architectural Design?"

The girl in question, however, was already out of the car, and looking at the sunset with an emotionless expression on her face. _What happened to the short-tempered girl I saw yesterday?_ Syaoran thought. He sighed, "Will I ever get a straight answer while we're here?"

"You never will if you stick around with us," Sakura said, returning to her normal – or not so normal – self. She motioned toward the house porch. "We need to talk, remember?"

"I'll just stay here," Tomoyo said, motioning toward her car. "Sakura _hates _eavesdroppers.

_**Vidya**__i: And so, that concludes the second chapter. Pfft. Guys, I need ideas. I'm going through the usual set of writer's block I get every week, but this time, instead of the usual "boredom write-ups" my writing's gone a little…old-fashioned. I mean, _Prince-and-the Pauper-in-Mark-Twain's-time_ kind of old-fashioned. Damn! I shouldn't have read that book. Guys – that is to say boys _and_ girls – please read and review._

_AUTHOR'S DRABBLE: maybe I should go visit the hospital for a while. I mean, it's only across the street. I could get my head checked for [cuckoo] birds, or something. At least it would get me out of the house. What do you think? I think I'd rather go to that medical clinic a couple of blocks away, though. I think it's free over there, but they'd also get my blood checked for Crazy Noodles. Hmm...yeah, maybe I'll just stay at home._


	3. Conversation

_**Vidya**_: _It took a lot of time, but I finally got this chapter out. Haven't read reviews lately, though. Gotta stop that... I'm sorry, if it _is_ boring, guys. As I said, I got writer's block. I had to copy off that last chapter from my original _I Wish You Knew_ story. Now, let's start the story before I start wasting space again._

_**Disclaimer**__:_ Raven's Peak _is not a real place, at least, that I know of. If I owned CCS, Syaoran would have black hair and umber (dark, yellowish brown) eyes. He'd also have a raven/spirit following him around as a guardian, but then again, I don't own it; so, Vidya, keep your thoughts to yourself. (Too late!)_

**I Wish You Knew**

**Chapter Three: Conversation**

"I don't know what you and your mother talked about, Li, but I don't want to be involved in any of it," Sakura said when Syaoran joined her on the porch of his family's beach house.

Syaoran smirked, "I think it's a little too late to say that, Daidouji," he kept his gaze on the waters below. "Mother can be terribly ignorant sometimes,"

"Like mother like son," Sakura looked blankly at the silver bracelet on her wrist and toyed with the charms attached to it. "I assume it runs in the family?"

"Are you really trying to pick a fight with me?" Syaoran asked, looking at her, and Sakura responded with a self-satisfied grin. He rolled his eyes at her. "Look, the Masque is in two days. That's what you wanted to talk about, didn't you?"

"That and the fact that you basically forced me to come with you," she told him, continuing to fumble with her bracelet. "It's not every day one of you stuck-up rich brats ask help from nerds,"

Syaoran chuckled, "At least you admit that you're a nerd, but I guess just accepting a scholarship automatically makes you one," he said. "I presume you want to talk about what you're going to pay for your dress, seeing you can't possibly go in _that_," he pointed at the long-sleeved dress she was wearing.

"Oh, should I be so lucky," she said, sarcasm practically dripping from her voice. "Unfortunately, Tomoyo found your mother's _invitation_ and managed to make me one,"

"Aw, you really want to go with me, don't you, _Sakura-chan_?" he said, pinching her cheeks.

Sakura brushed him away with an annoyed look on her face. "Shut it, Li," she warned, "The only reason I'm doing this is because if your mother gets a bad impression of me, my _dad_ is going to make me dig my grave,"

"Oh," he said, and for a moment, Sakura thought he was actually concerned. "Can I help pick out the coffin then?"

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura punched him in the arm, and he quickly regretted what he had just said. "I'm not kidding, Li. You can't even imagine what Touya would –" she paused, realizing that she had just said too much. "Anyway, can't you just tell your mother your girlfriend _wasn't there yet_? I mean school wasn't supposed to start for an hour,"

"Of course, Little Miss Braniac," Syaoran said, sarcastically, "So basically, you're telling me to lie to my mom _again_, and tell her my 'real' girlfriend is not you. We won't have a chance, you know. I bet she's already made Fuutie investigate you,"

_Aachoo!_

"Fuutie, dear, are you alright?" Yelan Li asked her daughter as they sat in the penthouse office of the Li Detective Agency.

The girl took a sip of her coffee, "Somebody must be talking about me," she said. "Anyway, mom, why do you even want me to learn about this girl?"

"Oh, it just so happens that Syaoran told me she was his girlfriend," Yelan said, smoothly, which made Fuutie almost spit out her coffee. "Yes, well, I want to know what you've gotten for me,"

Fuutie sighed and took a file from her desk. "That's just it, mom, I can't get _anything_: school records, birth certificate, diplomas. It's like she doesn't exist,"

"So, basically you're telling me my own daughter has just given up on a case for the first time," Yelan teased, knowing there was more to the story that Fuutie had just said.

"You know me too well, mother. Of course, I haven't given up. I have a few contacts downtown who owe me favors. They always hear more about the truth than the people up here," she grinned, satisfied with her.

The aged woman looked at the photo and raised her brow, "Is this supposed to be that Daidouji girl?"

"There's only one Daidouji in Tomoeda High, mother, and that's _Tomoyo_ Daidouji," Fuutie said, barely able to contain her excitement, "She doesn't match your description,"

"Yes, I know, but Sakura _Daidou_-" Yelan started but her daughter cut her off.

"Like I said, mother, Sakura Daidouji doesn't exist," Fuutie told her. "You'll have to give me more time than the usual to complete investigating,"

Yelan smiled, "So, more than just _one hour_," she said, and her daughter nodded in agreement. "I'll see you tomorrow, dear. By then, I'm assuming you're gotten somewhere,"

Fuutie rolled her eyes and smiled when her mother left the room, "She's the perfect example of _underestimation_, if that word even exists." She told herself. "Most agencies usually take _months_ to complete what I can do in a couple of _days_."

Suddenly, the ring of her telephone interrupted her reverie. She hurried to answer it just after the first ring. No calls were routed to her own office unless they were from her contacts, and even those were secretly investigated so she can trust them properly. Time was not to be wasted.

"This is Fuutie Li," she said into the phone, casually. The greeting on the other was familiar, as always, and there was that usual sense of urgency in the caller's voice.

"I found out about that Sakura girl, Miss Li," the caller's masculine voice said. "I can't tell you over the phone,"

Fuutie grinned. _There's something more to this girl than I thought_. "If it's _that_ important, I'll meet you in five minutes in the usual place,"

"I thought you'd say that," he answered, "I'm waiting,"

"So, had a good talk, guys?" Tomoyo smiled when the two of them returned from the house. She was already in her car's driver seat. "That was pretty long, though, I've got only fifteen minutes to get back home before mom starts scolding me. Where can I drop you off, Li?"

Syaoran sighed. "If you're in a hurry, you can just take me to the station. I'm sure the bus to Raven's Peak hasn't left yet," he told her, getting in the backseat. He sure didn't want to be stuck between Tomoyo and her cousin.

Tomoyo beamed, and almost shouted, "That's perfect!" she looked hopingly at the brown-haired girl who had taken the seat beside her. "You can walk home with Sakura!"

"_You _live in Raven's Peak?" Syaoran raised a brow, incredulous.

"Hey, just because all the houses you see there are practically mansions and villas, it doesn't mean a girl like me _can't_ live anywhere _near_ Raven's Peak," Sakura said defensively.

Tomoyo giggled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I guess the Kinomoto _estate_ in the forest _outside_ the Peak subdivision doesn't count, does it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, leaning on the window of the car, "Oh, shut it," she murmured.

Tomoyo ignored her and turned to Syaoran, "Hey, before we go, can I ask you something? Sakura and I are going to the movies tomorrow. Can you come?"

"Don't you think that's a little rash, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, you're not in-charge here," Syaoran smirked, "Of course I'll come. Mother will be _delighted_," he rolled his eyes at the last word.

"You guys will never stop fighting, will you?" Tomoyo laughed, amused. "You're worse than my brothers,"

"You have brothers?" the two chorused.

Tomoyo grinned, "Of course, not, but if I did, you'd still be worse," she told them.

"Trust Tomoyo to make things even more complicated," Sakura muttered as her cousin drove off, heading toward the station.

"Are you sure you won't set the station on fire?" Tomoyo asked, feigning worry. She laughed when they both shot her annoyed looks. "Wow, I never thought messing with you two would be so fun!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, just go home, Tomoyo," she said, stepping out of the car.

"You can't wait to spend time with me, can you?" Syaoran joked, earning a jab to the ribs from Sakura. "You really need to stop doing that."

"I need to, but I don't want to," Sakura said, grinning. She spotted the only bus in sight leaving the station. "Oh man, we missed it!" she looked pleadingly at her cousin, "What are we going to do now?'


	4. Detectives

_**Vidya**__: Grr…I downloaded this chapter without finishing it. Sorry for that, to whoever is left reading this awful piece of fiction, mainly me. Anyways, _Bianca_ , I know you're reading this; well, I hope so. Just want to say thanks for telling me what you thought last Friday. Funny how things work out during class._

**Disclaimer**: If I owned this story, do you think I'd still be writing fan fiction? Well, maybe…not.

**Chapter Four: Detectives**

"What are we going to do now?" Sakura asked Tomoyo desperately for help. Maybe there was some way she could lend her car, or call a taxi…or the police. Her efforts were in vain, however, and even she knew that.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "And I thought Daidoujis were supposed to be resourceful with this kind of stuff," he said, at which he received a glare from Tomoyo. Sakura, on the other hand, looked spaced out. "Hey, Daidouji, I'm talking about you!"

Tomoyo raised a brow at him, but only before she realized the Li heir wasn't referring to her. "Sakura, I think he means you," she whispered.

"What? Oh – yeah, whatever." Sakura said, coming out of her reverie, though it was clear that she was still worrying about how she was going to get home.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. _Those two are never going to go back to earth on time_, he said, suddenly realizing that he had just sounded as if the girls were from outer space. _How ironic_. He walked to a spot just a couple of yards from the two girls and fished out his phone from his pocket.

"You're usually not this worried, you know," Tomoyo reminded her cousin. "Why don't you just call Peter to pick you up?"

"I thought about that earlier," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "But considering what he and Beatrice can do with information like _him_-" she pointed at Syaoran, "-I better not take any chances."

The dark-haired girl smiled. "Oh, I forgot," she said, amused. "They tricked your brother into going out with that Chinese girl last year, right? I heard Peter 'accidentally' pushed the girl into Touya and made him kiss her. That was priceless," To Sakura's surprise, Tomoyo produced a camera from a bag inside her car. "I have it here. Do you want to see it?"

"Tomoyo, _focus_," Sakura said, and almost immediately, a grin broke out on her face, "E-mail it to me later, but _after_ I get home, alright? We need to figure out how to get to Raven's Peak,"

"It looks like Syaoran-kun already figured it out for you," Tomoyo pointed at a black Town car that was weaving its way through traffic. It had the Li Corporation logo, a winged scepter, embossed on its hood. It was clear that the car had come for Syaoran, who had just gotten off his phone.

The car stopped on a parking spot near them. Syaoran walked toward it, but stopped, seeing the windows being rolled down. A familiar-looking young man was sitting in the passenger's seat, and the very sight of him made Syaoran cringe.

"_Eriol_," he said, harsh enough for Sakura to mistake it for a snarl.

"Hey, Peter, do you think it's about time we get a digital camera?" Beatrice asked her twin. They were in the Kinomoto private library, faxing the photos Peter had taken. Beatrice, on the other hand, sat idly on a nearby chair, brushing off the small specks of dust she could see about her.

Peter bent over, feeding one of the pictures into the machine, "We had one, Bea," he told her, "I just didn't use it,"

"And why? It would have been easier to send them the pictures if we got first-hand digital copies," she answered, staring up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "I don't even know we _have_ a digital camera,"

"We _don't_,"

"But you said-"

Peter smirked, "We _had_ one," he repeated, "But you threw it at your bedroom door when I started talking all about it being the best I ever had,"

"Oh, right," Beatrice said, smiling at the thought, "I wanted to see if it could survive hitting a marble wall, but I missed. That was fun,"

Peter rolled his eyes, "My sister the sadist," he murmured, typing in a familiar fax number, "I wonder where she got it from."

"Good morning, _Syaoran-kun_," Eriol Hiragizawa said as he stepped out of the car. There was a goofy grin on his face, and all Syaoran could do was glare at him. There was time for fighting later.

"What are you doing here, Eriol? I don't remember inviting you here," Syaoran narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. He was not going to let Sakura see him annoyed, fake girlfriend or not.

Eriol smirked, "The day you invite me to your house is the day you start scheming how to kill me on Li family grounds," he said, all too aware of Syaoran's tendencies. He looked at Tomoyo and Sakura, and his eyes softened. "But on the other hand, would you like to introduce me to your friends?", he said.

"I wouldn't like to, and they're not my friends," Syaoran murmured, but Eriol had already walked over to the two girls. "But we really need a ride to Raven's Peak, and I didn't think I'd need to see your stupid little face again,"

"I see the obnoxious complex doesn't run in the family," Sakura said, and Eriol laughed. "You must be Eriol Hiragizawa."

"Obnoxious complex?" Eriol repeated, with an amused smile on his face. "I see the ride home is going to be a little more interesting than usual,"

Sakura smirked as she followed Syaoran and Eriol into the Li family car. She waved goodbye to Tomoyo with a roll of her eyes. "I'm itching to see how Eriol ticks Syaoran off," she said. "This is going to be fun,"

"Good morning, Fuutie," a dark-haired man greeted as he saw the Li woman pass through the doors. He was sitting by an open window in a corner of the restaurant, and he could see one of the Li family cars pull out from the parking lot.

She smiled, sitting on the seat across the man, "So, what can you tell me about this Sakura girl?" she asked. There was no use for introductions. After years of correspondence, she knew formality was rare when she talked to this particular contact.

"So straightforward," he smiled, but he handed Fuutie a thin manila envelope from his bag. "One thing I need to say, though: it's hard for anyone else to look for this girl. She's an heir to one of the richest families in Tomoeda after all,"

"And it wasn't hard for you because…?" Fuutie waited for the answer. If this girl was so important, why did it take only a couple of minutes for this man to find out about her?

The man had a wry smile on his face, "Simple, because…she's my sister,"

_Author's drabbling notes:_

_**Vidya**__: Hey, computer screen, long time no see. To anyone who reads this, I hope you notice that little button over there that says "Review", because I would very much like it if you give me reviews – flames or not, because mostly, I just end up sending bad criticisms to myself._


	5. Revelations

**NOTICE: THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED. I JUST WANT TO THANK REDEYES143 FOR POINTING THAT OUT.**

**Disclaimer**: I need to keep repeating this so here it goes, I DON'T OWN CCS.

_**Vidya**__: Short chapters, guys. So sorry, I'm taking a Guilt Trip down Conscience Road (this line is MINE!). Another thing, that little sadist thing about Beatrice on the last chapter was inspired by JHT. The title of this chapter might be misleading, and thanks to the following reviewers: (sorry if I'm going a bit too fast here!) _

_**AngelNguyen1**__: Well, Touya's helping because…it's supposed to help this weird twist in the story. BTW, he's supposed to be in Europe (check chapter 1 where Sakura's thinking about her family)_

_**Yasashii Ma**__: Actually, I really am getting writers' block. Can I take up on the offer?_

_**Blue Fire Heart**__: Thanks for review! I assure you, things are going to get interesting…since there's not much development between Sakura and Syaoran yet._

_**Redeyes143**__: I just want to thank you for reading up on this weird story of mine since the first chapter. I'm getting a little low these days, and I appreciate the reviews! _\(.)/ _Oh, and I just want to say sorry because I keep misreading your name as re-de-yes. Hehe, it just sounded like someone I know. Gomen!_

_**James Birdsong**_**: **_Yay! Thanks! _

_**Heyitsmebianca**__: Yes, I know it's you Binks. Hehe. Just joking. Thanks for the review. I'd like it if you'd actually tell me at school, though. Internet connection [just remembered: no computer! No internet! No connection!] is getting so hard to come by when I finally have the time._

**Chapter Five:**

**Revelations**

"Oh, this is just _great_," Syaoran rolled his eyes. They were only halfway to Raven's Peak, when Eriol's car suddenly stopped. Fortunately, they were on a seemingly deserted part of the road, and there weren't any other cars that could possibly do any damage.

Sighing, Eriol stepped out of the car, key in hand. "I'm going to take a look at the engine." He announced before closing the door. "Try not to wreck my car while inside, alright?"

"Wait a minute," Sakura murmured when Eriol didn't open the hood of the car, and instead walked further away, smiling. "Doesn't he need the key with us so we can check if the engine's working?"

Syaoran's eyes widened; he knew Sakura was right. Before he could get out, however, he heard a distinct click. He looked at Eriol, who had stopped to stare at them and pull out his phone. On cue, Syaoran's own cellphone rang. The caller ID was obvious: _Eriol Hiragizawa_.

"I guess you fell for it, Syaoran," Eriol' voice echoed through the car as Syaoran set his phone on speaker so Sakura could hear…and hopefully understand what the future yelling was going to be about. "You're going soft, I'm afraid,"

Syaoran scowled, loud enough for Eriol to hear. "Let us out of here, _Hiragizawa_," he snarled.

Sakura, on the other hand, sighed as she leaned on the backseat. "You don't have anything to threaten him with, Li," she said. Of course, it made perfect sense. They were both trapped. Blackmailing their captor wasn't actually the best idea – and neither was breaking the missile-proof windows.

_What ever happened to bulletproof?_ She thought, listening in on the conversation. "What do you want, Hiragizawa-kun?"

"Oh, call me Eriol, Sakura. At least you have the decency to understand your situation," Eriol replied, leaving a smug grin on the girl's face. "Well, Syaoran, since your little friend has _graciously_ asked me, I'll tell you." There was a long silence, as if they were criminals waiting for their life sentences.

"Alright, here goes…"

* * *

><p>"Peter, hurry!" Beatrice practically screamed into her twin's ears. It was five in the afternoon; their mistress was late. A Kinomoto was <em>never<em> purposely late, – because Sakura was always _accidentally_ late - and now, the entire household was near to panicking. "Master Touya's coming home unannounced. The house is in disarray, and Miss Sakura isn't home yet. We need to hurry! What if-"

"Calm down, Bea. If she was in trouble, we would've known by now," Peter calmly said. He was used to his sister's overactive tendencies, but sometimes, they hurt…especially on the ears. He could swear he would be deaf if she hadn't stopped screaming.

Beatrice's eyes widened, obviously contemplating on possible excuses. "What if her phone's battery went out?" she asked, tentatively, as her twin led her to the white Volvo in the estate garage. "What if she couldn't call? What if she _can't _call? What if there's no signal, or she ran out of minutes to call us? What if-"

Peter cut her off by opening the door to the passenger's side – right into her face. Luckily, it missed her by half an inch…but it was still close. "Stop with the 'what-if', Bea," he said. "Sakura's phone was charged this morning. I checked it myself. Besides, she has a _post-paid _phone. How in the world can she ran out of minutes?"

"If time itself stopped?" Bea offered one last desperate offer, but it made her brother roll her eyes. "Hey, it could happen, or maybe it already has and we just didn't notice –"

"Just stop it, Bea,"

Miraculously, she did.

* * *

><p>"Here goes…" Eriol's voice filtered out of the car, and the expectant silence became deafening. Minutes passed, but there was no continuation, making Syaoran raise a brow. He checked his phone, which he had placed between himself and Sakura.<p>

"He hung up," Syaoran said, with an annoyed look in his face. "So how are we supposed to get out of here?"

Sakura sighed. In the past two days, she had been forced to act as a "girlfriend" for a guy she had never wished to know, invited to a Masquerade ball, and met the head of a prominent clan – something she had been avoiding for years. Now, she was trapped in the car of someone she had just met, with the very person she had despised at first sight. Her life was getting more complicated than she wanted it to be.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered, taking out her iPhone from her skirt pocket. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She dialed the numbers quickly, so Syaoran couldn't make out what she had typed.

"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked, curiously. "I hope it's the police."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Why would I call the police? It's not like we were kidnapped," she told him. _But it looks pretty much like a kidnapping, except the kidnapper's not here_. "I'm calling someone who can help,"

* * *

><p>"<em>Hello, this is Peter Usher," <em>the familiar voice said, and Sakura smiled. At least the sound would be muffled, unlike Eriol's call earlier.

"Peter," Sakura said into the phone. "We're trapped in a car on the road to Raven's Peak. Can you pick us up?"

"_Miss Sakura?"_ the man said, relieved. _"Bea and I are on the way. We were worried when you didn't call – Bea, will you calm down already! –"_ the last sentence was obviously not meant for Sakura, who heard a girl whine on the other end about "stopping the flow of knowledge by not letting her hear the conversation". _"I'm sorry about that, miss. My sister happened to wake up on the bad side of the bed this morning,"_

"You mean the side where the foam collapses if you lean too hard?" Sakura smiled. Most metaphors were true when it was the Ushers talking. "I'll make sure they have it replaced today, Peter, but right now, we really need help,"

"_Wait, miss, did you say 'we'? Is there someone else –"_

Sakura hung up before Peter could finish his sentence. She was not going to explain why she was with the most sought-after teenaged boy in Tomoeda, in _front_ of the boy himself. Pride was a factor, of course, and _that_ was something she had plenty of.

* * *

><p>A black-haired boy sighed as he stepped into his raven black car. He saw a white Volvo coming up from behind him, and quickly started the engine. Through the glass of the other car as it passed, he could see that the driver was fighting someone, forcing the driver to slow down.<p>

"Oh, Daisuke, here comes someone you know," the boy told himself. "I just wonder if those two even remember me."

The white car came to a complete stop, enabling him to overtake it. He focused on the road ahead of him as he passed a kilometer mark. Silence and darkness seemed to come together while drove further away from the vast estates of Raven's Peak. The road became silent…until he saw another car in the distance. The two occupants were in the back seats, and there was no sign of a driver.

He stopped by the side of the road and stepped out of this car. "Excuse me, is there something wrong?" he asked, but the sight of the two people made his eyes widen. "Wait, _Sakura_?"

* * *

><p>"Her <em>brother<em>?" Fuutie repeated, amused and surprised. It was rare for someone to actually help her stalk their own family. This was rare indeed, especially from someone of such high status. "You're telling me that _you_, Touya Kinomoto_, _are the _brother_ of this Daidouji girl? How could that happen? Adoption? Illegitimate child? Intermarriage? Are you sure it's the same Sakura?" she added, holding up a school photo of the girl her mother had shown her.

Touya smiled; sometimes, his family was a bit too effective at hiding the truth, that they were getting caught up in it…along with a few rumors. "Actually, no. Sakura Daidouji is yet to exist, legally, at least." He took out a similar photo from his wallet. "Sakura _Kinomoto_, on the other hand, is regrettably an expert at psychological manipulation,"

The Li woman raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

"Simple, she introduced herself as Tomoyo Daidouji's cousin without saying her own last name," he explained. "People merely assumed that she was also a Daidouji, except for the school staff, who know the truth." A distinct ring from his phone caused him to stand up. "Well, that's my cue, Li-san,"

"Wait, after all you've told me, you're just going to leave?" she asked, incredulous, "You're going to send an assassin after me, aren't you, Kinomoto-san?"

Touya laughed, "Call me Touya," he said. "And no, unfortunately the assasins are reserved for when you tell your brother what I told you," he saw the worried look on Fuutie's face. "Just joking, but you can only tell your mother."

"Alright, call me Fuutie," she said, "because I have the distinct feeling that you've set up spies round this place." She eyed the waitress who was looking at them.

A knowing smile appeared on Touya's lips. "I have to warn you, Fuutie," he said, starting to walk away, "The Kinomotos own this place,"

_So basically, you just told me there _are_ spies here. Just great_. Fuutie thought, noticing that the waitress's gaze followed Touya, who nodded. "What a suspicious bunch," she muttered, "Oh, this is going to be fun," she fished out her phone from her bag and pressed speed dial 1.

* * *

><p>"Who did you call?" Syaoran said; the part of him that wanted to annoy Sakura had shut up, and he didn't know what else to say.<p>

Sakura pursed her lips, returning her phone. "Just…someone," she said, loud enough for Syaoran to hear. Suddenly, there was a sound of a car nearing them. "That must be them." To her surprise, it was a car she _knew_ the Kinomotos didn't own, but still, it stopped near them, and the driver walked out.

"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" the black-haired driver asked. "Wait, _Sakura_?"

That made her sit up. The black hair, the dark blue eyes, the slight smirk on his face. It was _him_, the boy Tomoyo told her about, _Daisuke Kabuto_. _Why is he here?_ Sakura thought.

"Actually, there is something wrong," Syaoran said. 'We can't get out. My cousin locked us in here," Suddenly, he saw Sakura pale, "Hey, be polite. That kid's not a ghost, you know,"

"But he's supposed to be," Sakura whispered, soft enough so no one but her could hear.

_**Vidya: **__waaah! Is this a cliffhanger, or what? I'm counting on "or what?". Anyways, thanks for those who reviewed this silly little story. At least it's not that dark as my other ones. Catch you if I know you!_

_Oh, and by the way, I would absolutely love it if you press that little button over there that says "review". Thanks! \(_)/_


	6. Memories

_**Vidya: **__I'm back from the…umm…living! To everyone – if anyone at all – is reading this, I'm really sorry for the obsessively long hiatus. I've been working on this other story, and then I got other weird inspirations. To top it all off, we had a lot of *ahem* academic conflict. _T_T_ Ugh, anyways, guys, the chapter's FINALLY coming up. I'm sorry if things are slow (Six chapters for one day in the story, for goodness's sake!), but my mind's still charging from the exams._

_**Disclaimer**__: I am not, and never will be, an owner of Cardcaptor Sakura. *are disclaimers considered as clichés?*_

Oh, by the way, Touya is NOT staying in the Kinomoto estate.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

**Chapter 6: Memories**

"Sakura, is that you?" the black-haired newcomer asked, as he approached the car. Surprise and confusion were clear on his face.

Syaoran suddenly felt a pull on the sleeve of his shirt. He turned around slightly and saw Sakura clinging to him, trying to hide her face from the boy.

"Call Eriol please,"

For a moment, he noticed the desperation in her voice, which immediately turned into a cold, impassive tone as she started to talk to the boy. Immediately, he felt himself dial Eriol's number once more.

"Daisuke?" Sakura asked, feigning surprise as she rolled down the windows to talk to the boy properly. "I thought – what are you doing in Tomoeda?"

The boy smiled, happy that Sakura recognized him. "Mother invited me over to attend the Masquerade ball at the Li Manor." He said, cheerily. "Have you ever met the Yelan Li, Sakura?" I assume your father would have introduced –"

"Actually, I _have_ met her, especially because I'm supposed to be dating her son," Sakura interrupted, rolling her eyes at Syaoran.

"Were you really that sad and desperate earlier or was it all just an act?" Syaoran whispered, slightly amused at their conversation. Before Sakura could answer, however, a ring came from his phone. Apparently, Eriol had answered the call. Syaoran turned away, and Sakura bit her lip. This act was going to be harder than she thought.

Outside the car, Daisuke furrowed his brow in confusion. "Wait, you mean that guy's –" he paused and looked at Syaoran, "Oh, Yelan-sama's son,"

Syaoran looked back at Sakura. "Eriol isn't talking," he said. "That manipulating, four-eyed, nerd,"

"Oh, I heard that," a familiar voice filtered through the phone, making Sakura sigh in relief. It was Eriol, but his voice sounded nearer than it should be. "Now, if your little friend outside my car would gladly turn around, maybe we can talk over on how I can get you two out of that car,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Why won't he answer his phone?" Fuutie said, muttering some swear words in the process as she looked at the phone in her hand. She was sitting in front of the mahogany table inside her office, impatiently tapping on the table.

_Busy_, Fuutie thought. She put the phone in the cabinet beneath her desk. "Great," she said to herself, "I finally have the biggest scoop of my life, and he's not answering, that stupid boy,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Eriol, what took you so long?" Syaoran shouted out of the window, making Daisuke turn around. "Let us out right now!"

The dark-haired boy approached them, smirking as he pulled out a key and opened the car. Syaoran was forced to use all his self-control to keep from wringing his cousin's neck right then and there, and instead, settled for glaring at Eriol when he got out.

"Sakura, are these you friends?" Daisuke asked, and saw Sakura raise a brow. "Well, when you find a girl trapped in a car with a boy, you expect them to actually be friends…or more. So, tell me,"

"Daisuke, you come back after all these years, and you expect me to tell you everything?" Sakura smiled, but her grip on Syaoran's arm tightened. She shook her head. "How about gaining my trust back, first?"

"You're right," he looked at his phone. "Oh, I really need to go back. It's nice seeing you again, Sakura," he said, walking back to his car.

Sakura watched him drive away, and she sighed in relief. After a while, she spotted a familiar black car in the distance, and she sighed. "Alright, my ride's here." She said, making Syaoran look at her clueless. "So the people at home panicked when I wasn't there yet. Don't worry, they do it at least twice a week– panicking, I mean,"

Sure enough, the car stopped only a few feet away from them. The man in the driver's seat looked relieved at the sight of Sakura. His companion next to him, however, had other ideas. The woman stepped out of the car and tried to pull Sakura up by the collar of her shirt. All she could manage was to lift the top buttons from the collar.

"Beatrice, I don't think that's necessary," the man said, leaning out the window. "We came to pick Miss Sakura up, not to kidnap her,"

"I stay at home, waiting for you every day and expecting that you'd come home unscathed before dusk," the woman said, glaring at Sakura. "Then, I check the time. It's already an hour past six, and you're _still_ not home. So the least you can tell me is what in the world kept you?"

Sakura put her hands up in mock surrender, sending an apologizing glance at Eriol and Syaoran. "Well, first, Tomoyo had to leave us at the terminal, then Syaoran's little cousin here, offered to take us home," she started, "Then he locked me and Syaoran inside his car. Now does _that_ answer your question?"

Beatrice loosened her grip, and pulled Sakura hastily into the car. Peter shook his head, looking at Syaoran. "I'm sorry about my sister," he told them. "She's a little high-strung when she's worried…which is practically every minute of the day," Suddenly, he felt Beatrice punch him in the ribs. "Alright, alright, we're leaving,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

The next day, Sakura Daidouji (*cough* Kinomoto *cough*) sighed as she stepped out of her family car, into the school grounds. She had come even later today, especially with what happened the _last _time she had come to school before anyone else.

"Peter, Tomoyo's going to come over this afternoon for the dress she's forcing me to wear to the Masquerade tomorrow," she said, closing the door. "Can you make sure she doesn't get into the estate?"

"No," Peter answered bluntly, and Sakura knew even _she_ couldn't stop her fashion-crazed cousin. "But maybe I can ask Beatrice to persuade her to make a more conservative dress. The one she made showed too much skin, in Beatrice's opinion."

Sakura laughed. "We looked over it last night," she said. "It was a turtleneck, long-sleeved 18th century ball gown. She's going to make me wear an oval Moreta mask, and a pair of elbow-length gloves."

Peter chuckled. "She's just worried about that Li boy, Sakura," he said, closing the car door behind Sakura. "Have a nice day, miss,"

Sakura was left in front of the gate, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Wait, I haven't introduced you guys yet." She looked at the Kinomoto car that was slowly disappearing into the distance. "Those guys are spying again, aren't they?"

"Depends on who you're asking," a familiar, masculine voice said from behind her. "Am I right, 'Kura?"

"Alright, Li, if you think this little façade is enough for you to –" Sakura paused, as she turned around, only to face the same dark-haired boy she had been avoiding. "Oh, it's you, Daisuke. I thought you were someone else,"

Daisuke smiled. "Your little boyfriend is over there," he pointed at the tree just outside the gate. Sure enough, Syaoran was there, having an early morning nap. "I saw his mother literally drop him off there, and he doesn't want to leave. He should, though; the morning rush is going to come in a few minutes,"

"Maybe I can _make him_ leave," Sakura said, trying hard not to show her frustration. "But before that, Daisuke, what are you doing here?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Don't worry, I'm being homeschooled. Mother wants me back at Tomoeda so I won't forget about her when I go abroad," he chuckled. "She can be more melodramatic than Beatrice, don't you think?"

Sakura nodded as she walked over to Syaoran's sleeping form, his back against the tress. She sat down beside him and whispered in his ear. "Syao-kun," she whispered sweetly. "If you don't wake up, I'm going to make sure you don't survive the ball tomorrow,"

Syaoran's eyes flew open in surprise. "I swear you live to make my life –" Sakura suddenly rolled her eyes at Daisuke, and Syaoran straightened himself. "Oh, your friend's here,"

"So, both of you are going to the ball?" Daisuke asked, tentatively. "I didn't know you were going together."

Sakura nodded in reply. "Fortunately, my brother's coming over today and I'm going to have to miss Tomoyo's last fitting session." She said with a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately?" the boys chorused.

"I haven't seen my brother in years, alright?" Sakura said, defensively. "Just because you guys get to see your siblings every day, it doesn't mean I do, too." She saw the amused look on Syaoran's face and scowled. "Don't give me that, Li. I may be on scholarship, but that doesn't mean I can't do anything bad to you,"

Syaoran chuckled. "It's funny how you made 'scholarship' sound like it means the same as 'probation'," he said.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Like how you make 'school' sound like 'prison'?" she teased.

Daisuke, who seemed to have sunk to the background, sighed. "Alright, guys. Rush hour starts in ten minutes." He said. "My tutor's going to freak if I don't get back home in time."

When he was out of earshot, Sakura let out a relieved sigh and sat down under the tree next to Syaoran. She massaged her temples nervously, seemingly in deep thought. Syaoran looked back at her with confusion.

"Alright, what's your deal with that Daisuke kid?" he asked. "You've been acting weird ever since he showed up last night."

Sakura's eyes seemed distant, and she looked away. "He's just a childhood friend," she explained. "He moved to England a couple of years ago. I didn't expect him back so soon."

"So when did you fall in love with him?"

Her eyes widened, and she stared at Syaoran. "What?"

"You heard me,"

"I guess, a long time ago,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_After all these days, I finally posted this chapter. Anyways, don't forget to click that little button that says "Review"! Oh, and I NEED HELP. I'm having a heavy case of writer's block, especially with a lot of physical stuff going on in our Sportsfest. Mental health is deteriorating! (not going crazy though)_

_I'll update as soon as possible! Vidya poof!_


	7. Regrets

**_Vidya: Hey, guys, there's just this one little word I messed up with that _wingedangel_ pointed out. Gosh, I really need to start editing my work. Anyways, I kind of changed it to what I really meant. Sorry for the inconvenience, just a lot of stories coming together in my mind right now! Thanks _wingedangel_!_  
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**Regret**

"Oh my gosh, what did I just _do_?" Sakura Kinomoto said as she propped her legs up on her king-sized bed. She let herself fall back into the bed with an annoyed groan. She still couldn't believe what her supposed "boyfriend" Syaoran Li has just made her confess.

_"When did you start loving him?"_

_ "I guess, a long time ago,"_

She spread her arms out and looked at the ceiling. It was already nine o'clock in the morning; that, she knew, but she _also_ knew that the dreaded day had arrived: the Masquerade Ball. True, it wasn't until evening, but the pressure – well, reluctance, anyway – was building up in her. Any girl would fall for Syaoran Li, and would most definitely do anything to be where she was now. However, Sakura Kinomoto was not just any girl. She had her own responsibilities with her family after all.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts, and caused her to murmur an instinctive "come in". It was Beatrice, in one of her best maid outfits and with a mobile phone in her hands. She had the biggest smile Sakura had ever seen on her face, and the way she moved reminded her of a toddler who had just received his birthday present. Beatrice actually looked contented, glad, happy; and that made Sakura think of only one thing.

_She's planning something_.

"Good morning, mistress," Beatrice chimed, a little too cheerfully. Sakura flinched. Okay, she was paranoid, but who wouldn't when you had a maid who could act happy while planning hell – not to mention just after confessing your deepest secret to your supposed boyfriend-who-is-really-your-worst-enemy? "Your brother has called – something about a ball he wants to go with you tonight."

Sakura reached for the phone reluctantly. Maybe it was drugged, but how can you drug a phone? _She must have sprinkled some contact poison on it or something_, she thought. Then, she laughed inwardly at her silly thoughts. Beatrice wouldn't do that. What would she gain? Another body to dispose of? Wait…_another_ body?

"Take it, already," Beatrice said, annoyed and rather unprofessional. "It's not like I rolled it in poison ivy, or something?"

"Now how'd you know I'd been thinking about _that_?" Sakura laughed nervously as Beatrice left. She looked at the phone. Touya was still calling her, and she hurriedly pressed the "Accept" button on the dial. "Hello, Ying Fa speaking,"

She heard a deep, familiar voice chuckle on the other end of the line. "Hello, Kura. I see you're still using that nickname." Touya said, reminiscing about the old days. "Anyway, I called about a Masquerade Ball I've been invited to tonight. It's hosted by the Lis. You know them, right? Can you go with me?"

Sakura paled. Fate certainly had a queer way of handling things, or maybe it was just her brother? Back on more important matters, would he refuse the brother she hadn't seen in months for a boy who had insulted her for years? It was an easy choice for a girl to make, but then again…

She gulped and choked out an "okay". Touya told her everything she needed to know – but already knew – about the ball, before hanging up. She groaned. Oh, this was going to be one heck of a day.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

Touya Kinomoto laughed, looking at his phone which he had just used to contact his sister. Finally everything was falling into place, or was it?

"You're wicked," he heard a female voice say behind him. It was Fuutie, come for the end of their reluctantly cut-off conversation. He had invited her into the home he was staying in. (_**a/n: if he stayed in the Kinomoto mansion, that would just ruin Beatrice's fun XD**__) _

"But we're not here to discuss about me," he said, sitting on a couch in the living room. Another man, who looked about the same age as Touya, entered the room, with an amused look at Fuutie.

The newcomer chuckled softly. "I see," he said. "Planning World War III, aren't we?"

"No, just the apocalypse," Touya smirked. "Well, I hope your brat of a brother is ready for anything we throw at him,"

"And by anything, you mean anything ranging from tables to chandeliers," Fuutie rolled her eyes. This little chat with Touya Kinomoto was going more and more like a never-ending fight of the wits.

"Don't be silly," Touya said. "I could never get at those chandeliers. Maybe I can catch some of your little streamers to tie your brother up before he messes with my sister,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Syaoran, answering the freaking phone!" Sakura yelled as she held her mobile tightly in her left hand, while trying to punch the little plastic numbers on the keypad with her right-hand fingers. An unmistakable ring resounded in her ears. "Finally, that stupid Li answers!"

"And who might you be calling stupid?" the also unmistakable, yet annoying, baritone voice answered on the other end.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, just this irritable little brat who forced me to act as his girlfriend so his mother won't bug him anymore. Have you met him? I'm sure you'll find him great, no matter what I say. Want to see him?" she said in a nonchalant tone, which immediately turned into a deadly one. "Well, look in a mirror, Li!"

"Don't start with your mood swings, Daidouji. Sheesh, you almost burned through my ears," he complained. "What is so important that you start off the conversation with a yelling session?"

Sakura froze. No way in hell was she going to tell him that his brother, _the highly-esteemed millionaire heir, Touya Kinomoto_, was going with her to the ball. That was as likely as she was to tell him that she was a Kinomoto herself. Suddenly, she thought of the lamest, but believable, thing that could come into my mind.

"Tomoyo-chan changed her mind about the dress and redid it." She said, lying smoothly. No one can get between Tomoyo and a "ruined" – though in everyone's eyes, completely perfect – dress. Syaoran wouldn't even _dare_ to tell Tomoyo off. "So, I kind of need to get to the party a little late. Don't even _think_ of changing her mind,"

Sakura smirked to herself, rejoicing in the successful weaving of what would later become a web of lies. Of course, _that_ never really ends well, even in happy endings. Still, she had her hopes up, and no one would want to invade her own private moment.

"Can't we do her a favor or something?" he offered, obviously desperate. This was _his_ life they were talking about. If Sakura didn't come, who knows what his mother would do? The least she could do was kill him.

_Damn, didn't think it through_, Sakura cursed. "I'll talk to her about it," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll kill you later, Li," she hurried to type in Tomoyo's number. "Hello, Tommy, I need a favor."

"Anything that comes with a price,"

Sakura sighed; she could swear Tomoyo was going to force her into another dress for this. "I brought you up for an excuse to not go to the ball." She explained. "Syaoran thinks you're redoing the dress and I need to miss the first half of the ball so you can finish with that thing."

"Cool," Tomoyo answered in a cheerleader-type voice. "But only if…"

_Here it comes…_

"You drag yourself and Li-kun to our house this instant,"

"That's it?" Sakura gasped. Okay, maybe this wasn't going to be so hard.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

The favor sounded as easy as taking a walk, so it was also easy to "drag" Syaoran to the Daidouji house, well, mansion. Powerful people had powerful friends, after all. Too bad in this case, "people" meant "Sakura".

The gates were opened by a young woman wearing a maid uniform, which made Sakura laugh. Syaoran, on the other hand, looked at her as though she had just grown a second head. Laughing at someone you've just seen isn't exactly part of Etiquette 101.

Meanwhile, the maid lead them into the mansion. They went through several hallways and corridors before finally entering a violet door in the end of a narrow hall. All the time, Sakura seemed to be trying her hardest to keep from laughing out loud.

"Alright, what in the world do you find so funny?" Syaoran finally asked when the maid, who was smiling mischievously, closed the door behind them.

"Well, you would laugh to if you know," Sakura looked at the maid and smirked. "Should we tell him?"

"Now, where's the fun in that?"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_**Vidya: Hey, guys! After a long update-hiatus, I finally let go of my broken brain (from my exams) and my lazy streak, well, sort of. The ball is coming up in the next chapter, which I'm supposed to post this week. Just watch out for the clues. The maid is actually pretty important. Anyways, can you guess why Sakura was laughing so hard? Yasahii-maa, thanks for helping me with the next chapter! Vidya poof Oh, and that little "review" button over there is just waiting...maybe not for long. Want to bet?**_


	8. Blackmailed

_**Vidya's Notes: Gosh, guys, I think I should rethink about my plot again (we got lessons on Fiction Story Analysis, so please understand why I finally regret thinking up basically five chapters of what I now think of as fillers). Anyways, here's a shout-out for all the reviewers, and also to those who put this story on their Favorites! I love you, guys. (Not romantic love, take note. That would just be weird). Oh, and to Edgar Allan Poe, I love your plots. I know they are a little weird…wait, a little? (It's got premature burials and torture rooms and everything.) Oh, save that for my funeral. Ha! I'm also friends with those freaky dark-thinking Kuroshitsuji-and-Death-Note-loving guys (a.k.a. Sebastian the demon and the Grim Reaper/wannabe Grell), so that might take a while. *insert freaky laugh here* …um… I have got to get out more I'm starting to act like my characters. Oh, and was it **_**that**_** obvious about the maid? (to myself: duh, vid)**_

_**Disclaimer: You know how disclaimers sound like clichés? That it's always "I don't own this" or "I don't own that"? Well, I just want to say that the chances of me owning CCS is as much as me owning a multi-million dollar company at the age of fourteen. Now was **_**that**_** a cliché? Well, maybe. **_

_**Oh, and by the way, this chapter is set on seven in the morning, eleven hours from the ball. Gosh, that's enough for me to sleep in all day. *winks***_

_**xoxvidyaxox**_

**Chapter 8**

**Blackmailed**

"You know, he's sounding pretty stupid not recognizing you," Sakura told the maid, who was now going through a set of fashion magazines in a corner of Tomoyo's room. Syaoran, on the other hand, continued to glare at Sakura from the doorway.

The maid nodded. "Well, you won't believe what a little make-up and a good outfit can get you," she said, simultaneously taking a hairpin from her hair while flipping a page with her other hand. She started applying make-up.

Meanwhile, Syaoran got a good look around the room. There were two things that caught his eye: two huge French doors on one side, and a plain door on the other. He knew at least one of those lead to a private bath – this was a multi-million dollar Daidouji mansion, after all (_a/n: He only knows about Tomoyo being rich and thinks Sakura is just some commoner relative who lives with them)_. So where did the other one lead?

He was about to start contemplating about the other door when he caught the look on the maid's face, and his eyes widened. "Daidouji-san!" he said, and both Tomoyo and Sakura looked at him. Sakura, of course, turned too late - she was still getting used to being called Daidouji when she was with Tomoyo (a/n: I have got to admit, that _is_ confusing).

"You know, you can just call us by our first names when there are the two of us." Daidouji (the real one) said with an enigmatic smile. "You can call me Tomoyo-chan." She looked eagerly at Sakura to do the same thing.

The auburn-haired girl, however, glared at Li before adding, "Call me Sakura-chan, but only when you need that acting stuff you pulled me into." She said. The glare was then changed to a smile as she faced Tomoyo.

_Well, that was…freaky._ Syaoran thought, seeing the unusual mood swing. "Okay, _Sakura-chan_," he said with a self-satisfied smirk when he saw Sakura blush (a/n: What? Sakura blushed at Syaoran? Hehe).

"Kura, I think you'd want that blush off if you want to look unaffected," Tomoyo whispered, which of course, only made things worse. "Anyways, I'm just going to change. I'll talk to you about that favor later."

"Oh, great, you're leaving me with this brat," Sakura muttered darkly.

"Hey, Tomoyo-chan," Syaoran called out, and the girl turned around. "Do you have insurance on this place?"

"With Sakura for a friend?" she smirked. "Naturally,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

Tomoyo groaned as she put on a gray turtleneck, which she had gotten from one of the racks in her walk-in closet. Her phone was ringing, and she had left it in the jeans she had taken off. She hurried to get it out and saw that an unlisted number was calling.

"Hello, Daidouji speaking," she said automatically. She was surprised by the sweet baritone voice that answered her.

"This is Eriol Hiragizawa. Miss Fuutie Li wanted me to talk to you." The voice on the other end said. "Are you, by any chance, related to Sakura Daidouji-san?"

_Daidouji-san? _She paused. _Oh, right, she didn't tell. _"Of course, she's my cousin,"

"Oh, good," he said. "I know I've just introduced myself, but this is to help them with their little 'Masquerade Problem'. You do know about it, right?"

"Well, seeing that I'm the first to find out, I guess that means 'yes'," Tomoyo answered.

"Okay, well, it's actually for both of them," he said. "You see, they should be…well, honestly, _closer_, if Yelan-sama is to believe their little act,"

"Oh, I can do _that_," Tomoyo smirked into the phone. When Eriol hung up the phone, she walked toward a small medicine cabinet behind the door to the closet. She grabbed the innocent-looking pills she kept especially for those sleepless nights. "This will do great, now where are those handcuffs?"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Hey, guys, I'm back!" Tomoyo announced, now in a new outfit and carrying a tray with two glasses of orange juice. "I whipped these things up in my closet. Would you like some?"

"Wait, you _whipped these up in your closet_?" Syaoran asked, dubiously, accepting Tomoyo's offer. He sat down on Tomoyo's bed; Sakura reluctantly took a seat five feet beside him. It was like watching two people with restraining orders.

"She treats her closet as her bedroom," Sakura whispered, taking one of the glasses of juice. "She has all her sewing stuff there,"

Syaoran raised a brow, "Then what about her _real _bedroom?" he asked, absentmindedly taking a sip from his own glass.

"Oh, you mean the storage room?" Tomoyo grinned, watching them finish their drinks. She took the glasses back and put them on a coffee table at the foot of the bed. "Well, I use that for my little victims,"

'Vic…tims?" Sakura repeated slowly. She gulped and looked at the empty glasses. There was some white powder on the bottom of each, as though Tomoyo had mixed something into it but didn't mix it too well. She felt her eyes getting heavier, and so were Syaoran's.

"You know, they say the first thing to get two people closer is to do it literally, don't you agree?" Tomoyo was saying, but all Sakura and Syaoran caught was mere muttering as they saw everything slowly turn dark.

A maniacal smirk remained on her lips as she saw Sakura and Syaoran lay asleep on her bed. She took her phone and called Eriol. "Hello, this is Tomoyo. Plan T worked out pretty well," she said.

"Plan T?" Eriol repeated, obviously amused. "What happened to Plan A and all the other letters?"

"I don't like the letter A that much. It's the beginning of arrogant, anxious, and that horrible shade of apricot (a/n: no offense to apricot lovers, but I couldn't think of any other colors that start with A)," Tomoyo said. "Besides, T stands for Tomoyo. It sounds great, right?"

"Oh, so humble,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

**Vidya**_**: Ha, I've been meaning to write this 'getting closer literally' part ever since I started this weird story I called '**_**Just Another Girl"**_**, which actually has the same plot as this one except that the character's names are different and the female lead is actually the stoic-and-mysterious-but-not-nerdy one, and the male lead is the popular-yet-obnoxious school idol. I'm put it up next month, by the way, but changing a couple of stuff, so please read it!**_

_**Back to **_**I Wish You Knew**_**, Tomoyo is pretty mischievous, don't you agree? Oh, and Eriol got Tomoyo's number from Fuutie, forgot to say that. And the next chapter is going to be…in my language, normal (translation: weird). Want a preview? Well, you've got no choice, here it is!**_

Sakura yawned and her eyes fluttered open. She felt the bed she was sleeping in, and she knew immediately it was her cousin's. She sat up and looked around the room. She was still wearing the clothes she had before everything blacked-out. She checked the clock on the bedside table. It was one in the afternoon, plenty of time to finish what she came here to do - make Tomoyo cover for her while she met with her brother. As she did whenever she woke up – morning or not – she stretched her arms…only she couldn't raise it.

Her eyes widened at the handcuffs that tied her to the person beneath Tomoyo's bed sheets. "Oh…my…gosh!" she gasped. "Tomoyo!"

_**Ha! Rather short, but it's all I can tell you for now. Masquerade Ball and Touya in upcoming chapters.**_

_**Anyway, to the reviewers:**_

**Yasahii-ma**_**: thanks for helping me come up with the Masquerade scenes. *wink* Your ideas are well-appreciated. No, wait, that's my freaky-stoic-side talking. Scratch that; I LOVE them! Oh, and thanks for your review. I'm just starting out with my own idea of Rising Action (yay for Fiction Story lessons!), so I'm weaving your subplot into this one. I also LOVE that part about the trauma thing. I think the chapter where that shows up (I'm not telling!) will end up like a tragic-comic plot cliffhanger. Heads up! No, wait, I'd rather have the readers looking at the computer monitor.**_

**Wingedangel**_**: thanks for pointing out that little mishap on the last chapter. I finally realized I've got to stop multi-tasking with all these stories to finish. *Commercial: by the way, to all you out there, please read **_**Distant**_**, my **_**other **_**CCS fanfic, and maybe **_**No Happy Endings**_*** At least I'll finally going to drag my lazy self away to Fairytale Land for a while.**_

**Arcturuslein**_**: I suggest printing out all the flames they say and setting it on fire. I'm not a pyromaniac, that's all in the past. XD Just joking, though not about the first sentence. Though, I kind of don't listen much to verbal comments (for example, the ones you tell me while I'm eating lunch). Well, I **_**hear**_**, but I don't **_**listen**_**. There's a difference. Oh, and the whole Sakura-hates-Syaoran-and-vice-versa stuff is sort of based on that crazy Cherry Blossom Palace fighting scene you made up (you know, the one where three of the minor characters get beat up for sliding down the banisters and destroying the dinner table?)**_

**Hannahchuu**_**: Your name sounds familiar…are you that girl who sits at the front of the class, on the second column in the classroom? If you aren't, then I'm sorry for the mistake; but if you are, HOW THE HECK DID YOU FIND ME?**_

**Redeyes143**_**: **_

_**Vidya Poof!**_

_**Oh, I forgot, remember that little blue innocent-looking "review" button over there? Well, if you click it, something's going to happen! *duh, Vid* Anyways, please review! **_**Arcuturus**_** and **_**heyitsmebianca**_** aren't helping. They think it's an excuse that they can just tell me in class, but I can't remember **_**which**_** story they're giving comments for, so I'm depending on you guys (the readers) to review this story. Maybe a little suggestion here and there, comments; you know, the UNusual.**_


	9. Royalty in Chains

_***singing* 'Cause you say it best, when you say nothing at all…(insert lazy song) nothing at all…hoo hoo hoo nothing at all***_

_**(My classmates suddenly sang karaoke in the middle of our distribution of quizzes during Chemistry and they came up with this AWESOME BUT WEIRD remix and I just had to share.) So, why didn't I use Facebook or Twitter instead? Well, let's just leave it at the fact that it's a SOCIAL network.**_

_**Anyways, here's the usual: I'm crazy, the past chapters have been pretty anticlimactic *duh, you just managed to fit four chapters of fillers to represent two days*, and I don't own CCS (serves as disclaimer). Nothing happening much, except that I'm finally getting close to the main event, the MASQUERADE!**_

_**Any resemblance to persons living or dead are 75% (wow, passing grade!) non-coincidental and may be blamed on me, well, if they're still alive. If they're dead, I have a friend who claims to be the Grim Reaper so I'll talk to him about it. **_

_**Now, where's that mental hospital? *looks across the street* Oh, there it is. (I'm not joking, the hospital really IS just across our street.) Now, while I get myself admitted, you guys carry on with the story. **_

_**Xoxvidyaxox**_

**Chapter Nine:**

**Royalty in Chains**

Sakura yawned and her eyes fluttered open. She felt the bed she was sleeping in, and she knew immediately it was her cousin's. She sat up and looked around the room. She was still wearing the clothes she had before everything blacked-out. She checked the clock on the bedside table. It was one in the afternoon, plenty of time to finish what she came here to do - make Tomoyo cover for her while she met with her brother. As she did whenever she woke up – morning or not – she stretched her arms…only she couldn't raise it.

Her eyes widened at the handcuffs that tied her to the person beneath Tomoyo's bed sheets. "Oh…my…gosh!" she gasped. "Tomoyo!"

The person beside her pulled at the sheets and stared at Sakura. "What the-" he (a/n: you know who it is) said. "Daidouji, what are these handcuffs for?"

Sakura scowled. "If I knew, I'd tell you," she answered, sharply. "This is my _darling_ little cousin's idea." She narrowed her eyes at the word 'darling'. "Oh, she is totally going to get it,"

"Get what, Kura?" Tomoyo swayed innocently into the room. Apparently, she had been in her closet, as weird as it may usually sound. She looked at the chain link between the two. "Aw, you guys found out. That's great!"

"Can she get any weirder?' Syaoran whispered, anxiously.

Sakura knitted her brows in worry. "Let's hope not, or we're never going to get out of this," she answered.

Unfortunately, Tomoyo didn't miss this little exchanged. "Oh, that's so KAWAII!" she exclaimed, looking at them through her usual camera lens. "The two haters to friend…um…sters,"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "For some reason, that sounded _so_ lame," she said, dismissively.

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes, with a wicked smile on her face.

_Uh oh_

"Hey, Kura-chan, Syao-kun," Tomoyo said. "I was thinking maybe you could go to Penguin Park before you go out for the ball tonight."

"I don't think we have a choice," Sakura groaned.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Touya, have you made the arrangements?" Fujitaka Kinomoto said over the phone as his private jet landed on Tokyo Airport. He had just come back from England, and it was going to be one heck of a time dealing with all his deals, familial or business. He almost swore he could see Touya smirk.

"Of course, dad," Touya answered, rather cheerfully. "Fuutie Li already knows, and it's not going to be long until her mother is alerted."

Fujitaka smiled. "You know what the Li elders would do once they found out about our little blossom and their heir, don't you?" he asked, though it was a rather rhetorical question. "Are you sure they won't get any ideas?"

"Oh, of course, I'm not," his son said. "The Li are proud, powerful, and ever so thirsty for power. It's not long before _their_ arrangements get started."

"Good," Fujitaka said, grinning to himself. This was going to be an interesting return home. "Nadeshiko would be ecstatic about this. Yelan Li was her best friend, after all."

Touya chuckled. "I think it's not going to be long now, dad." He said. "Mom's will is the greatest of our concerns right now."

"True, Touya," he said. "Now, let's see what we can do for that little gathering Yelan's set up this year,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Is she serious?" Syaoran asked, sitting on the cool grass of Penguin Park, next to Sakura (like he has a choice! XD). They were underneath a cherry blossom tree, and he looked up. Lo, there Tomoyo, sitting innocently on the lowest branch with an innocent-looking camera aimed right at them.

Reluctantly, Sakura agreed. She followed Syaoran's gaze. "Tomoyo, are you sure your camera can see _this_?" she pointed at the handcuffs still binding her to Syaoran. "I just want the people you're showing this to that I'm being forced to do this."

"Oh, it _sees_ the handcuffs, Kura," Tomoyo grinned mischievously. "Though with a little editing, I'm not sure if my camera can _remember _it,"

"Why you-" Sakura started to say, but she felt someone walking up toward them, someone familiar. In an instant, Tomoyo hid herself even higher in the branches, recording everything from start to whenever it was going to end.

"Kura, is that you?" the oh-so-familiar voice said.

Sakura paled, and she managed to say, "Daisuke,", before collapsing into Syaoran's arms.

Syaoran put a protective hand around her. If Sakura was getting uncomfortable around this Daisuke guy, Syaoran might as well play his role as her "boyfriend". Besides, people – including a shady man wearing a trench coat in the middle of summer (so much for inconspicuous) – were watching.

"I'm sorry, but I think Sakura's tired right now," he said, hoping that this guy would take the hint. "She spent the day being chained in Tomoyo Daidouji's room after all,"

"Oh, it's that Daidouji girl again, then?" Daisuke smiled, as if in understanding, which he probably did. "It's alright then. I know how Tomoyo can get when she wants something to happen. Tell her and Tommy I said 'hi', alright? And get Tomoyo out of that tree." He added, before walking away.

"How'd he know who you are?" Syaoran asked, speaking to the air, but he knew Tomoyo was listening. "And why does Sakura keep acting strange around him? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" came the soft answer. "You were there when Daisuke was told he was going to leave for England. Sakura was in love with him. You should remember. It was the time Sakura pushed you off your yacht after all," (See Chapter One for reference. It's when Sakura mentions 'dolphins'.)

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_ "I can't believe Li would let us hang out in his yacht for the school trip," Sakura said, leaning on the railings next to a thirteen-year old Daisuke. "He's showing off, isn't he?"_

_ "Ugh it's those dolphins again," they heard Syaoran, who was only a couple of feet away and also leaning over the railings of the yacht. "I can't believe marine mammals could be so conceited, bragging their flips like that. It's not a big deal,"_

_ "Well, they aren't the _only_ mammals who are conceited," Daisuke rolled his eyes, but then, he saw Syaoran looking dangerously at him. It was only for a second, but he already knew what was going to happen next. It was the same every time._

_ Everyone on the yacht knew about Syaoran's little fascination, especially about the fact that every guy who became friends with dear old Sakura Daidouji mysteriously got an unexpected transfer to Paris, or Rome, or some other European country that was halfway around the world. Worse, Daisuke actually _had_ come from a European country, and it was going to be much easier for the Li to send him away. It won't be long now._

_ Though, he didn't expect the call to come through now. His phone was ringing incessantly, and from the caller ID – Mother – he knew he was going back to England, no questions asked. He was looking at Li throughout the entire conversation._

_ "I see that Li from your class wants you away," his mother said, calmly. Daisuke knew, however, that she had been waiting for just the excuse to send him home. "It's that girl again. He spoke with his mother, who, in turn, told the elders."_

_ "And they would do anything they think is right for their heir," Daisuke added. Syaoran was looking at him now, with a satisfied smirk. "I know, mother. He's a jealous one, but look on the bright side –"_

_ "-you're going home!" his mother finished for him. "Daisuke, dear, don't worry. We've got everything ready for you right after that yacht trip of yours."_

_ Daisuke chuckled. "You're truly excited to see me, aren't you, mother?" he asked. It was a dumb question, though. The answer was pretty obvious._

_ His mother hung up, and just as he turned, he saw Sakura, looking sadly at him. "You're leaving?" she whispered. "But why?"_

_ He looked over at Li, and Sakura, though naïve, knew it was that stupid brat again. It was always him. She walked over to Syaoran, who in the process of bragging about his swimming skills while he continued to watch the dolphins below. _

_ A dolphin made a backflip, and Syaoran smirked. "Oh, come on, I could do better than _that_ cheap trick," he said, fully aware that Sakura was behind him._

_ When he turned around, he saw that the girl was fuming. "Really? You can swim better? Then why don't you show everyone?" the anger in her eyes was clearly visible, and in one of those rarer moments, Syaoran found himself completely over his head…literally. _

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_**Vidya: So, now you know the story behind DiasukexSakuraxSyaoran. Part of it, anyway. If anyone asks, Yasahii-ma put me up to it! XP Just joking. I absolutely want to thank Yasahii-ma for helping me with this little scene behind the scenes. I would never have gotten through the Daisuke-is-back writer's block I had. **_

_**So what do you think about this little revelation? Short chappie, as usual, but the writer (hey, that's me) is getting one of her slightly bipolar Diligent-Procrastinate moods she gets when projects make the least sense. (I mean, seriously, we can't make our PROJECT at home? Oh it's alright. Wait, what?)**_

_**So, while I'm spending time here in my little blue room (couldn't get admitted in the hospital. It wasn't a mental after all.) I'm just asking for you readers to click that little button over there. You can't possibly close it without seeing your eyes. I mean, ugh. **_**You can't possible miss it without closing your eyes**_**. Do the Unusual with the Usual, and review this chappie!**_


	10. At Last

_**Vidya: **_I swear school was created by bored people who wanted to do torture the annoying kids around them. *ouch* Anyways, sorry for the delay. Writer's block. School. Activities. MTAP. Quarter exams. Projects. It's the usual stuff. I hope you understand. Someone finally told me my stories (take note of the plural) are to long-winded. Well, someone had to say it, and if I did it, then my usual inferiority complex would make me go down the hill faster than Jack and Jill. Yea. Please enjoy! *Too many details, I agree. A weird girl has her weird quirks, and unfortunately, that makes weird – and confusing – stories.*

_**Disclaimer**_: If I owned CCS, my story would've been in the anime, but since it isn't – well, you know what that means.

_**To the reviewers: **_I LOVE your reviews! Constructive criticism made me realize this is taking TOOOOOO much time with too many details. *someone had the guts, who has the stomach? Wait, what? Eww…*__

_**xoxvidyaxox**_

**Chapter 10:**

**At Last**

Syaoran looked straight up at Tomoyo, Sakura still unconscious in his arms. "Are you saying that _Daisuke_ is the reason why Sakura hates me so much?" he asked after hearing Tomoyo's side of the story.

Unfortunately, for Syaoran, he saw Tomoyo nod. She jumped off the tree and stood in front of him. "Sakura loved him, you know," she said, keeping her face as straight as possible. "A month after Daisuke left, her mom died. She felt that anyone who gets close to her would always end up leaving her. Her friends. Her family. Everyone. That's why she prefers staying alone. You pulling her into this little charade with your mother, I'm actually grateful for that; but don't you dare try to take anything from her ever again. She's lost enough," she tossed two keys of varying sizes to him.

"The smaller key is for the handcuffs. The other is for your car, on the other side of the park. I've got to say, you have a nice convertible, Li. Green, no less," she said, before walking off. "Now, make sure she gets to my place safely. She won't want you barging in on her own house."

Syaoran raised a brow. "I thought she lived with you," he said in confusion.

"Not everything you think is true actually is, Syaoran-kun," Tomoyo said as Syaoran followed her to the edge of the park. "Just because you're from the most powerful clans in the world, it doesn't mean you know everything, _especially_ about my cousin,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

Meanwhile, in a corner of the park, a black-haired girl scrambled to get her brother out of her line of vision so she could see Sakura. The camera in her hand was ready to snap a picture. Suddenly, Peter bumped into her hand and the camera fell to the ground.

Angrily, she picked it up. "What did you do that for? Master Fujitaka is expecting proof!"

"Yeah, well, take that for proof," Peter pointed toward a certain dark-haired girl watching Sakura and Syaoran in the distance. A bespectacled boy was coming up from behind her with an amused smile.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"That was a nice act, Miss Daidouji," Tomoyo heard a deep, baritone voice say from behind her. She was still standing on the sidewalk next to the park, watching Syaoran carry Sakura's unconscious body into his car.

She turned around and saw a dark-haired, bespectacled guy facing her with an unmistakable smirk. He was one of the many who were now openly ogling the "couple", but for some reason, Tomoyo knew this young man was more amused than surprised.

"Eriol Hiragizawa, I presume," she said, and the boy nodded. "Did you see that black-haired boy who came over?"

"Fuutie keeps tabs on anyone relating to her brother; she just doesn't tell him. That Daisuke boy was one of the first on her list. Sent to England because her brother was _jealous_, of all things," Eriol smirked. It really was amusing to see his ice-cold cousin flare up in envy. "Jealous of a certain _Sakura Kinomoto_,"

Tomoyo grinned. "So you know, too." She said. "I just hope that Li doesn't, or I won't have any good material to tape," she pulled out an ever-so-present camera from her bag. "Oh, the Masquerade is going to be absolutely perfect. Well, if mother invited me along,"

"Then, would you like to come with me, young lady?" Eriol smiled, and held his hand out in invitation.

"Well, I guess you're not exactly a stranger, Hiragizawa-san," she said. "Then I accept,"

"Call me Eriol,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

Sakura stretched her arms as she found herself on Tomoyo's bed, and was thankful to find them unbound. However, she felt a sudden weight on her hand. She turned her head and gasped when she saw Syaoran sitting on a chair beside the bed, his head leaning on her arm. As she pulled herself free, he awoke.

"Why didn't you tell me Daisuke was the reason you pushed me off the boat five years ago?" he asked, groggily. "You could've just told me,"

Staring at the ceiling, Sakura sighed. "You were the one guy I hated the most, and you have just forced me to act as your little girlfriend for you darling mother," She said. "Why would I tell you _anything_?"

"I _was_ the one guy you _hated_ the most. Past tense," Syaoran concluded. "So, I'm going to ask you again. Why?"

"Why what?" Sakura asked innocently, to which Syaoran glared at her. She held up her hands in mock defeat. "You're not even my friend,"

"After getting forced by my mother, trapped by Eriol, and handcuffed by Tomoyo, you still don't think we should at least be friends?" Syaoran raised a brow.

"Alright," Sakura smirked. "You do have a point, you spoiled brat," she said, amused with herself.

"Hey, I thought we were friends!" Syaoran complained childishly as he sat on the bed beside her. "That was cruel!"

"Oh, stop acting like a three-year old," Sakura laughed, poking him in the ribs. "Well, you know what they say: 'A true friend stabs you in the front.'," (a/n: If anyone asks, "they" means "ghostgirl". Don't own that book either. T_T)

Syaoran scoffed, though it was clear that he was close to smiling. "Well, so does an enemy," he added, before getting a cold glare from Sakura. He laughed, seeing the queer look on her face. "Just joking. Now, why don't you just tell me?"

"Maybe I don't want to!" Sakura pouted.

_She looks so cute when she does that. Wait, what?_

"then you should be friends with Ava Rice," Syaoran said, nonchalantly, making Sakura raise a brow in curiosity.

"Is she cute?"

"Why? You want to court her?"

"Ewww. No. I'm a girl for goodness's sake."

"Then I don't know what's stopping you,"

"You. Are. Disgusting."

"Then explain why you asked if she was cute,"

"I thought maybe she could fill in for me whenever Tomoyo needs a model or something."

"I don't know. She's pretty greedy about her time,"

"Really?"

"Yeah. If she was a real person," Syaoran said, exploding in laughter when Sakura pouted again, this time, in pure annoyance.

"Greedy. Ava Rice (a/n: as in Avarice, one of the seven deadly sins. Religion classes just took a bite out of my brain.). Oh, I get it. Very funny, Syaoran," Sakura said, narrowing her eyes, but it was hard for her to deny that she wasn't enjoying herself.

"Well, thank you for thinking it was funny," Syaoran rolled his eyes, smiling.

Sakura opened her mouth to answer him, when she heard her mobile phone ring. She cursed, seeing that it was her brother. She stood up, took the phone, and headed for a corner away from Syaoran. "How perfect timing, brother," she said sarcastically. "I was just about to tell the guy I hated about little Daisuke,"

"Guy?" she heard Touya say in surprise, though there was something in his tone that made her think that he was more amused than surprised. "What guy? Kaijuu, tell me!"

"Oh, so Tomoyo just kept all those videos of us to herself?" Sakura asked. "Doesn't she send them to you?"

Touya chuckled. "Tomoyo-chan isn't keen on sharing," he paused. "But that beside, why aren't you here yet? The Masquerade is going to start in a couple of hours!"

Sakura pulled her hand over the receiver and whispered to Syaoran. "Hey, can you pretend like someone's calling me or something? My brother's not hanging up," she pleaded, which made the boy chuckle softly.

"I know, Touya," she said, returning to the call. She heard a distant doorbell and she looked at Syaoran, who nodded and walked out of the room.

"Hey, Sakura, I think your cousin's outside!" Syaoran said from the hall, for more effect.

Sakura mouthed a "thank-you". "Oh, Touya, I need to get that. I'll talk to you when you actually get home, alright?"

"That's in half an hour. You better be there," Touya said before getting off the line. Sakura sighed in relief, until Syaoran walked up to her with an amused smirk.

"You know, your cousin really _is_ outside," he said, "And she has _Eriol_ with her,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"You could have told me that she brought the dress with her," Sakura groaned at Syaoran when Tomoyo showed up in the room. Eriol followed her, carrying a pink, long-sleeved, medieval-style dress in his arms.

"As your cousin says, 'where's the fun in that'?" Syaoran smirked, amused at the irritated look on Sakura's face. "I wanted to see you annoyed at someone other than me, for once,"

Sakura glared at him as Tomoyo pulled her into the walk-in closet across the room. "Well, god job, Li," she snarled, then lowered her voice to whisper to Tomoyo. "I thought we were supposed to act so he won't go with me to the Masquerade. What are you doing?"

"Hey, maybe your brother got sick and decided to _pay _me to do this," Tomoyo smiled enigmatically, shoving her into the closet. "Now put that on while I get rid of Syaoran,"

"_Get rid of them_?" Sakura looked up hopefully. "Can I bury the bodies?"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "Not _that_ kind, Sakura," she said. "Besides, if we do that, Eriol's going to make your life hell,"

Sakura paused, halfway through closing the door. "Did you just say 'Eriol'?" she smirked, thinking of some blackmail material to get out of this juicy piece of information. "Since when did you start calling him by his first name? I didn't give you _that_ long to hook up,"

To Sakura's surprise, Tomoyo actually blushed, an act that she tried to hide by closing the door to the closet and locking it from the outside. She sighed in relief when Sakura gave up trying to open the door to free herself. She looked evilly at the two boys that remained in her room.

"Um, I just remembered," Syaoran said nervously, "I need to try on my tux for the Masquerade. We'll be leaving now!" He shouted as he pulled Eriol into the corridor, and into safety.

"Fear the girl, fear her cousin," Eriol smirked, even more amused than Tomoyo was at the moment.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Mother, are you sure Syaoran's going to agree with all the scheming you've been doing?' Fuutie Li asked over the phone as she glared at the silver-haired man in front of her (a/n: it's obvious who it is, right?.

Yelan chuckled. "Dear, even if he didn't, he'd _have_ to." She said. "Let's not forget who has the upper hand here,"

Fuutie smirked, sitting on a couch in Touya Kinomoto's apartment. The man was smiling eerily at her. "That's cruel," she paused, remembering what her mother _usually___was. "Oh wait, you're actually being generous this time, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," Yelan answered. "If he doesn't bring his 'girlfriend' tonight, the elders will be forced to have him engaged,"

"And to who?"

"The daughter of an old friend."

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_**Vidya: **_I wanted a cliffhanger. I don't know if I got it. Anyways, this gets you thinking: who's this "old friend"? *I'm kind of wicked and lazy and busy these days* Anyways, I don't know what made me write that Ava Rice stuff. Just wanted to make them friends, I guess. Lame move, if I must say so myself. I guess, that whole subconscious-psychology stuff Brother put into our brains is bugging me more than I thought. Anyways, it looks like I'm overusing the word "anyways". I might not be able to update within the week other than this. I need to cram my mind for the Math Contest our teacher put me in (what were they thinking?). yeah, again, Vidya, tell yourself two words: INFERIORITY COMPLEX

Oh, before I forget, if you see that little blue button over there that says "Review", can you click it and see what happens? I'm running low of Review Juice ,the stuff that keeps me writing, also the stuff that only exists in my dreams. Wait, i don't _have_ dreams. At night at least. I think I need a little motivation (constructive criticism is welcomed, no flames though) can help me write these chapters faster. Thanks! Oh, and trying to edit some of the chapters. Some parts were just useless. I totally agree (now, why _wouldn't _I agree with me? Well, there was this one time…)

Vidya's mind is on overload. I prefer Geometry over Chemistry now. Scholars ARE NOT to be looked down upon! (Try looking at them from the side. Some of them will ignore you and spare you the lecture.)


	11. Masquerade Madness

_**Vidya:**__ I just realized I don't have a "social" life outside school. I haven't been outside our house since the "vacation" started, except when I had to go to an internet café (which is, by the way, in a bamboo hut. I didn't believe my brothers at first, but then I actually SAW the hut.) for my project. I mean seriously, I wrote this at 1:30 in the morning, in a house in the mountains where we once mistook signal flares for fireworks. Apparently, the army from the nearby military base were ambushed. You call this a vacation? I think NOT. _

_Beatrice and Peter aren't showing this chapter, though. It's mostly about the Masque. Oh, who is this "old friend" that Yelan mentioned?. Well, too late for guessing; you guys are going to find out anyway. Unless that voice in my head tells me otherwise…I'm pretty sure that voice isn't my conscience (or else I would be more dedicated to my schoolwork than the way I am now)_

_**Amanbu-chan**__: Heard about the 99.99%. Well, Yelan DOES have a lot of old friends. Not saying that she's old or anything. She's just – um, never mind._

_**Lol1o1**__: Wow, thanks for the happy birthday! Well, considering that my birthday is still in May, but hey, a greeting's a greeting! P.S. Math is horrible when you need to start learning tangents and secants while the rest of your class are still on proving theorems. (School is DEFINITELY getting into my head.)_

_**RosyRedPen:**__ Be careful! You might fall from the bed! lol_

_**Disclaimer**__: No matter how much it pains me to do this, I DO NOT OWN CCS (just this freakily weird and slow, not to mention confusing, plot. What a great way to boost your self-esteem, Vid! *insert sarcasm here*)_

**Xoxvidyaxox**

**Chapter 11:**

**Masquerade Madness**

"Remind me again how you forgot about our plan to ditch Syaoran?" Sakura groaned from inside Tomoyo's walk-in closet. She stepped into the dress Tomoyo had made for her, knowing there would be no chance of her escape if she didn't.

She could almost _see_ Tomoyo smirk. "Well, let's just say your father was an excellent negotiator," she said, causing Sakura's eyes to wide. "Not to mention that I agree with his plan 100%,"

"Wait, dad talked you into this? Is _everyone_ planning to ruin my life?" Sakura said, almost slipping on the hem of her dress. It took her a while to regain her composure and ask another question. "Alright, we'll talk about that later. What about Hiragizawa-kun? You seemed close," When her cousin didn't answer, Sakura added another question: "Tomoyo, are you _blushing_?"

"So what if I am?" Tomoyo retorted confidently. "What about you I noticed you've stopped calling your 'boyfriend' as Li, laced with anger and seasoned with hate. You even forgot about your usal glass of revenge,"

Sakura unexpectedly found herself blushing. _This is bad_, she thought, _I need a comeback. _"Yeah, and maybe_ you_ need a plate of love, Tommy," she said. "Or maybe you'd start with a siding of 'crush'?"

"Focus on putting on that dress so I don't attempt to kill you," Tomoyo warned halfheartedly on the other side of the door. "I wouldn't want to ruin the gown,"

"Just forget it, Tomoyo. I need help," Sakura said. By the way she said it, it was clear she had had a lot of thought about telling Tomoyo, and _that_ was a rare event.

"_Psychiatric_ help?

"Tomoyo, _no_," Sakura looked at her seriously, then realized she looked stupid glaring at a door. "It's just, when Daisuke – when Daisuke arrived when we were in the park, I – I remembered why I 'hated' Syaoran when we were young," she took a deep breath. "You know the feeling when you need to annoy someone just so you could get their attention? (a/n: sounds like my brother…) Well –"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Seriously, Eriol, what do you _see_ in that Daidouji girl?" Syaoran asked as they got into the green convertible parked outside Tomoyo's mansion. He started the engine and began making his way to the Li estate just as Eriol forced out his answer, along with an amused smirk:

"I could say the same thing about you…but with a different Daidouji, of course." To his surprise – wonder of all wonders – Syaoran Li blushed. It was a rare phenomenon, rarer than his genuine smiles (or a supernova, but that's just stretching.). "Well, I'll be. _The_ Syaoran Li is in love,"

"I never said I was in love," Syaoran said, defensively as he drove into the paved road that lead exclusively to the Li estate. There were already vans along the way, most of them coming to aid in the Masquerade.

"Nobody said I annoyed you, either, but everyone knows," Eriol said, seemingly finding delight in the annoyed look on his cousin's face. He knew Syaoran wasn't used to people knowing his feelings. "When did you realize?"

Syaoran looked at Eriol for a moment and saw the serious look on his face. He turned his attention to the road as the guards opened the Li estate gates to let them in. "Daisuke wasn't sent home by his parents." He kept his eyes on the road and his voice flat. "He was sent home after Sakura Daidouji pushed me off the yacht because she thought I was insulting him."

At this, Eriol smirked. "You're telling me you've loved her for more than three years?"

"I didn't say I was in love with Sakura."

"Sure, you didn't,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"You had a _crush_ on Syaoran Li?" Tomoyo gasped. "You have to tell me,"

"Let me out first." Sakura said, but she stumbled when Tomoyo did as she asked just when she leaned on the door. Fortunately, she caught hold of the door knob and pulled herself out before she did any more damage. "Alright, I do, alright," she blushed when she said it.

Tomoyo raised a brow, "You _do_?" she repeated. "You mean to say that you _still_ have a crush on him?" she shrieked giddily, seeing Sakura nod.

"I sound like a little girl," Sakura said, embarrassed by her cousin's outburst. "I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"You're _still _a little girl and it looks like I've got my work cut out for me," Tomoyo said, pushing Sakura back into the closet while she was recovering. She quickly locked the door and pulled out her phone before Sakura could retaliate.

Sakura pounded on the door relentlessly, calling for Tomoyo to let her go. The real Daidouji, however, ignored her and dialed a familiar number. No, it's not 911. It's not like she was going to say "Hello, police, I just locked my cousin in my walk-in closet. Could you spare some time to pick out her dress for me?". (a/n: from the little voice in my head.)

"Hello, Uncle Fujitaka?" she said into the receiver. "I'm leaving the key on the coffee table next to my closet…Why? That's where Sakura is…Yes, she's in her gown and she can't escape…Well, she's _sort of_ in agreement. I mean she didn't _dis_agree with it after all…maybe because she couldn't…Yes, I'll see you in the Masque, Uncle. I look forward to your surprise."

"Sakura-chan!" she called out, making Sakura slam herself against the door in hopes of getting out. "Take care of the dress, okay? I'll see you later…I hope."

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Sakura, dear, are you alright?" a familiar, masculine voice asked from outside the closet, lighting Sakura's eyes in hope. She heard him pick up a metal object nearby – the key, most probably.

With a click, the door opened, and Sakura saw the man she had long missed. Momentarily, she forgot her current situation and launched herself on him with a hug. "Dad!"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

An hour after leaving Tomoyo's house – ahem, mansion – Syaoran found himself sitting in a corner of the Li mansion's main ballroom…alone. Eriol was standing next to him, and Syaoran entertained himself by teasing him and Tomoyo Daidouji herself, who was with them.

"Don't you have a life of your own, Li?" Tomoyo asked, clearly already on edge.

Eriol smirked at this. "Don't worry, Tomoyo. He's just jealous because Sakura-chan isn't here yet," he said, not missing the slight blush on Syaoran's face.

"Yeah," Tomoyo said thoughtfully. "Maybe I shouldn't have locked her in my closet after all,"

The two cousins gaped at her, along with a chorus of "You what?". Fortunately, none of their guests seemed to have noticed this little outburst, as they were still busy trying to keep up their etiquette to impress the Lis. While Syaoran stood dumbfounded, Eriol pulled Tomoyo into a corner to talk.

"Dear Tomoyo, what came over you that made you lock your cousin in your closet?" Eriol asked, obviously amused. It wasn't every day that he heard an heiress talk about doing something as crazy as this. "How do you think she's going to be Syaoran's date if she's there?"

"Oh, that wouldn't be a problem, Eriol," Tomoyo smirked, pointing to the ballroom entrance, where a limousine had just pulled up. "It looks like the Kinomoto patriarch has arrived."

"You're planning to hook him up with the daughter of one of the ten most respected businessmen in Tomoeda?" Eriol raised a brow. "You think his mother hasn't tried that with the _other_ nine?"

Tomoyo grinned, pointing to the auburn-haired girl who was energetically talking with Fujitaka Kinomoto. "Well, there's a first." She said, pulling him toward the entrance. "Why don't we take a closer look?"

"Yeah, and well, her closet wasn't _that_ bad. There's a _couch_ in there after all, not to metion a fridge full of snacks, but –" the girl was saying to Fujitaka when she saw Tomoyo. A huge grin plastered on her face, she hugged the latter almost too energetically.

"Wow. After I locked you in my closet, I thought you'd be angry," Tomoyo said, raising a brow.

"I am," Sakura said, matter-of-factly. "But I can't exactly do that in front of all those people, can I? That would be –" she stopped abruptly, looking over Tomoyo's shoulder. Tomoyo turned to follow Sakura's gaze and she raised a brow. Nothing seemed wrong.

Syaoran Li could flirt with any girl he wanted. Sakura wasn't tying him down or anything. She wasn't supposed to be surprised at this. Syaoran had a life of his own to live. It was then that the girl attempted to lunge forward at Syaoran, her eyes closed.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Syyaaaooorraaann," a blonde girl purred at him. Who was she? She was annoying him more than the paparazzi who followed him around. If only he could take off her hilariously decorated mask, peacock feathers and all. Oh, that's right, there was only one guest who had the guts, the accent and the genes this girl had - Yumiko Black, the half-British, half-Japanese his mother had brought in as an apprentice at Li Corps. What a suck-up. Who was she to call Syaoran by his first name? Such disrespect, it was surprising none of the bodyguards were already pulling her away from the mansion.

"Miss Black," Syaoran said calmly, barely hiding his annoyance. He was supposed to be looking for Sakura, not trying to fend off this obvious flirt. "I'm sorry but I really need to look for my date,"

"Aw, Syaoran-kun, you don't _have _ a date, do you?" Yumiko said, her British accent showing clearly. "I know how you normal guys think."

_No. You're not Sakura._

To both their surprise, Syaoran scowled. He was sure to hide his emotions, wasn't he? And one thought of a certain auburn-haired girl made him lose his cool. He was already on thin ice.

"I'm afraid being a Li means you should be as far apart from normal as possible. Besides, my date would may look beautiful tonight." Syaoran said, collecting himself. Suddenly, the girl moved toward him. He instinctively moved sideways and Yumiko almost stumbled.

But the damage was already done.

**xoxvidyaxox**

And Sakura lost it. What did she lose? The answer was simple: she lost herself.

From now on, Sakura Daidouji will always be Sakura Daidouji – the quiet loner who never even attempted to talk to anyone she didn't need to talk to, the anti-social shell who protected the Kinomoto inside from getting hurt by the reality of life. The hurt of the unrequited.

"Sakura, you alright?" Tomoyo's voice shook her out of her reverie.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tomoyo. I forgot my place for a moment," Sakura smiled, straightening her mask. "Please excuse me. I seem to need to fix my mask before it falls off entirely," she walked away with an aristocratic laugh, as though it was a joke.

Tomoyo frowned. Sakura was never this formal, except at school. The Sakura she knew wasn't this…ice princess. Sakura Kinomoto was a cheerful, lovable, and yet dense, girl, the one who would be the perfect leading lady for any romance story. This…impostor…was not Sakura. This new personality was cold and calculating. She was wearing a mask, alright, but more than just the physical kind.

"Oh, Sakura," Fujitaka said, reminding Tomoyo that she wasn't the only one noticed. Silence enveloped them for what seemed like hours.

"What just happened?" Eriol asked, but Tomoyo couldn't answer. Sakura was back. Her mask was put properly on her face, but Tomoyo could see the subtle traces of tears covered with make-up. It was unmistakable to the trained eye: Sakura had been crying…because of Syaoran.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Tomoyo said, and Sakura smiled at her, her expression pained.

"Do you know why they say girls are evil?"

"What are you talking about, Kura?"

Sakura went on, ignoring Tomoyo's answer. "Because girls love boys and boys are evil." She finished, faking a contented smirk. "They are, aren't they?"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_ Dammit. This Yumiko girl isn't getting the clue: I DON'T LIKE YOU. Why won't she take the hint and go already. I still have Sakura to find after all…wait, when did I start calling her by her name? It sounds perfect, doesn't it? Sa-ku-ra. The syllables roll off my lips in perfect harmony. _

THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. AND NOW, THINGS WERE ONLY GETTING WORSE.

They heard Yelan tap on a microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen, let me present a very dear family friend of ours..."

**xoxvidyaxox**

**Vidya_:_**_ Sorry for the sort of cliffhanger. We finally finished that freaking math contest...plus the exams. You should have heard them when the bell rung to tell us that we needed to stop answering our chemistry exams. all of the third years groaned at the same time and it was loud enough to reach the first year building. ugh. i will never be a chemist._

_You know what happy to the daughter of Yelan's "very dear family friend", right? Oh, and comments about Sakura's recession [into emo gothica]. please review!_

_Religion you are a lifesaver._


	12. Dark Cherry Blossom

_**Vidya: **__I have come to realize that my best friends thought I was cruel, anti-social and snobby when they first saw me. The same goes with my other classmates. I mean ,really? I might be anti-social _

_**Syaoran: **__so why do I have friends?,_

_**Vidya: **__Even the anti-socials have cliques…____I might be a war freak _

_**Peter: **__what bookworm likes playing DoTa, Time Crisis, Age of Empires and all the versions of Red Alert? BTW, she doesn't own those either, along with CCS. _

_**Vidya: **__Shut up. Those games are awesome.. I'm not cruel._

_**Beatrice: **__Oh yeah? Then what did you do that to Sakura-sama?_

_**Vidya**__: Hey, that wasn't me! That was Syaoran!_

_**Syaoran**__: I'm not the one with complete control over this story!_

_**Vidya**__: *glares* Just who's side are you on? One more word and I'll have half of you boiled alive in cooking oil while the Fight Card stabs you with his/her/its sword._

_**Peter: **__*sweatdrop* You're not cruel alright._

_**Beatrice: **__Yeah. Just evil._

_**Vidya**__: Alright, guys, as you have read, you might have realized I might have gone overboard crazy. This might be because no one from our year level finished our Chemistry Third Quarter Exam (I SWEAR I WILL NEVER BE A CHEMIST). Fortunately, I got over that MTAP phase plus I have Beatrice and Peter to take my anger out on! Just joking. This is where the Usher twins make a comeback. (and where I'll be explaining where they've gone all this time.) along with Daisuke whatever-his-last-name-is. _

_Oh, and someone guessed who the "old friend" was! This is dedicated to Yasahii-ma! Love your ideas!_

_**Disclaimer**__: If I owned CLAMP, I wouldn't need to have problems with school. _

**Xoxvidyaxox**

**I Wish You Knew 12:**

**Dark Cherry Blossom**

"I would like to introduce everyone to my dear old friend…" Yelan said over the microphone. "…Fujitaka Kinomoto!"

The collective gasp that echoed through the guests could not even compare to the shock on Syaoran's face. He swore his jaw just met the floor, but then, of course, if that happened, he had more to "look forward to" than just a new "business associate".

Syaoran had heard of the Kinomotos before. His mother had mentioned them several times when she was going over her private list of bride candidates for Syaoran. "Kinomoto" was the only word he picked up that didn't come with "would make a good wife", "give you an heir", or "wonderful bride". So this was what his mother was planning. He had to think fast. Sakura was still nowhere in sight. His only contact to her was talking to a beautiful yet unresponsive girl wearing an oval mask.

"Daidouji-san, have you seen your cousin? I think I know why mother wanted me to come with someone today," he said, hurrying to her side.

Tomoyo looked at him worriedly. She cocked her head toward the masked girl. "I'll – we – I need to find Eriol." She stammered before disappearing into the crowd.

"You must be Li Xiao Lang," the masked girl said. She pronounced "Xiao" as it would have been spelled "Jzao". There was no clear emotion in her voice. "I'm Ying Fa Kinomoto. You can call me Ying Fa,"

Syaoran nodded and smiled. "Call me Syaoran," There was something familiar about this girl (a/n: I bet you know why.) but he couldn't quite place it. He hid his confusion behind his mask and asked her for a dance. After all, Sakura seemed to be insistent on missing the ball, he might as well enjoy his time for a while.

_Kinomoto. That means she's Fujitaka-san's daughter, one of the most influential heiresses in Tomoeda_. Syaoran thought. _Mother seemed to have gone overboard with the guests she chose to invite. The Kinomoto's almost NEVER go to any of our events._

He led Ying Fa to the center of the room, where some couples were dancing to a slow waltz. He put his arm around her waist, and her hand rested on his shoulder. "Was Daidouji-san a friend of yours?" Syaoran asked, curiously. If he was going to make small talk, he might as well make it interesting.

Ying Fa smiled. "She's my cousin, actually," she answered, which surprised Syaoran. He didn't know the Kinomotos and Daidoujis were related. "Though not a lot of people know. Aunt Sonomi is intent on keeping our connection behind closed doors. Tomoyo wants to have a normal life, you see,"

"Normal as in spending her day with taking pictures of everyone and sketching designs for every occasion?" Syaoran raised a brow.

The Kinomoto heiress laughed. "Unfortunately, her definition of 'normal' isn't so…well, normal." She said. "She spends a 'normal' vacation shopping in Paris for _textile_. She won't even let me buy a single piece of clothing there."

Syaoran chuckled. _Typical Daidouji, I guess_. He thought. "No offense, but she does seem a little…strange," he said.

"None taken," Ying Fa giggled. "She's always had some sort of obsession going on to make everyone think like that. Once, she even got obsessed with me! It was awkward. She was taking all sorts of videos and pictures. I swear she has an entire box full of her memory cards,"

"Sounds like her," Syaoran said. He paused, a thought passing through his mind. "Wait, if you're Tomoyo Daidouji's cousin, then you must know Sakura,"

"Already on first name basis with her, I see," Ying Fa teased.

To her surprise, Syaoran actually blushed! "Well, actually, no," Syaoran admitted, "I only call her 'Sakura' so I won't get confused with the two Daidoujis. Besides, she's not exactly my sort of girl."

_Yea, you're sort is a girl like Yumiko._

"I'll make sure she knows," Ying Fa said with a mischievous smirk.

Syaoran furrowed his brows. "Actually, I'd prefer if she doesn't." he said, worriedly. "I think she hates me enough already."

Suddenly, Syaoran felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Fujitaka Kinomoto himself. The older man smiled at him. "It's nice of my daughter to become friends with the Li heir," he said. "Do you have any intentions of going further, young man?"

"Daddy!" Ying Fa said, half in amusement, half in embarrassment. She let go of Syaoran and took hold of her father's arm. " I have a good time, Syaoran-kun. Now, I need to stay with my father before my brother goes berserk."

Syaoran felt himself smile unconsciously as he watched the father and daughter walked toward the main doors, where Tomoyo and Eriol were waiting.

"Ying Fa Kinomoto," he whispered.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"I swear Peter, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The valets in front of the Li mansion looked around, looking for the source of the voice. To their surprise, it came from the limousine the Kinomotos owned. There was a couple (?) arguing inside. The girl was screaming her heart out, while the boy in the driver's seat put on his earplugs.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me Ying Fa was coming over!" Beatrice shouted, completely oblivious of the weird looks the people outside the limo were sending her. "Sakura's going to go berserk on me when she realizes what just happened while she was in emo mode!"

Peter answered her with a surprised look. "Wow, that's a new record, Bea. I could hear you through my earplugs!" he said, causing Beatrice to punch him in the shoulder. "Ouch! Hey, it wasn't my fault we needed to stay here! What if they need to leave in an emergency?"

"What kind of emergency? Sakura having an identity crisis?" Beatrice asked, annoyed.

Suddenly, a shadow caught Peter's eye. He covered Beatrice's mouth, which made his twin bite him. He pulled back immediately. "Can you stop giving me bruises?" he asked. "I think I just saw Daisuke!"

"You mean that boy Fujitaka-san deported to England?" Beatrice raised a brow. Peter nodded and she laughed out loud. "That's impossible! Interpol should have informed us if he broke out of jail!"

"I'm not kidding, Bea!" Peter said, defensively. "I definitely saw him!"

"Whatever, Pete. You just don't want to hear me scream in your ears!"

"Like I could ever stop _that_,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"You'll be mine, Kinomoto," a seventeen-year old boy whispered sharply as he stalked toward the Li mansion. "Ying Fa _and _Sakura,"

**xoxvidyaxox**

"Tomoyo, I'm just going to get some air in the garden," Sakura told her cousin as she took off her mask. She looked at the glass of the doors leading to the garden. It was as though she saw an auburn-haired girl with green eyes on the other side. "Ying Fa," she whispered.

"Okay, I'll wait for you here," Tomoyo said, though her eyes seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd.

Sakura shook her head lightly. "No, it's alright. I'm sure Eriol's waiting," she didn't miss the blush on the Daidouji's face.

"I hope you don't see Ying Fa," Tomoyo said, before Sakura disappeared through the doors. She didn't know it was going to be the last she saw of Sakura that night.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

Sakura sighed as she stepped into the Li garden. It was filled with the intoxicating scent of roses and azaleas…and chloroform. Someone grabbed her from behind. A cloth covered her mouth, forced by a strong hand. She felt the world swirl around her.

"You WILL be mine, Sakura, whether Ying Fa has a say in it or not," a familiar voice said.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_**Vidya: **__So, we've come to a dozen chapters. I know they're pretty short, but I had to cut some parts because they pretty much didn't have anything to do with the main plot. So, what do you think? I know there's question there somewhere, mostly along the lines of "Ying Fa and/or Sakura". If you have any ideas on why they keep switching between the two names, comments/suggestions are welcome! Review or PM me about it, kay?_

"_I love you" becomes "I want you"_

_MP_

_Daisuki_

_Sending clues here_

_SAK ying fa URA_


	13. The Darker Shade of Pink

**Vidya: **I messed up BIG. Granted, I really shouldn't have scheduled my "deadline" only a few days before they told us the student council was supposed to attend this summer workshop and plan for all the things we wanted to do next school year (_thank you_ *insert sarcasm here* for taking the "vacation" out of "summer vacation", people-who-made-this-possible). And after _that_, I got a few hours to re-read this chapter…and realized almost all of it was leaning towards the realm of emo gothica (I'm not sure if it means the same as I think it does. If you know its meaning, PLEASE TELL ME!), so I had to do a rewrite, and after that, I had to do an entirely different ending – hopefully one that doesn't include readers hunting me down with pitchforks.

Okay, back to the story! I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! A lot are confused about the Ying Fa-Sakura thing (which is eerily perfect for what I'm planning to do…somewhat) but there were some who guessed what was going on (no, I won't tell who)! Whoever you are, you got it almost exactly right!

INSPIRATION, WHERE ARE YOU?

**Disclaimer**: disclaiming in a disclaimer to disclaim my claim on CCS. I disclaim the rights to disclaim the rights to CCS because I do not own it, and therefore, have to disclaim my claim on it. (yeah, if any of you understood that, please explain it to me.)

**Xoxvidyaxox**

**Chapter 13: I Wish You Knew**

**The Darker Shade of Pink**

"The perfect little princess, Ying Fa – I mean, _Sakura_ – Kinomoto," the young man chuckled, as though he had made a joke only he understood. Sakura's eyes widened when she woke up, seeing the face of the man who had tied her to a chair in an elaborate room. "Oh, hello, I see you're awake,"

"Daisuke!" Sakura growled, and she tried to stand from her position to grab at him, only to discover that her hands were tied behind her back. She looked around, and saw a view of the sea outside a small rose window. Its message was clear: _no one's ever going to rescue you_. "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

Daisuke smirked mischievously. "Well, _you_ didn't do anything. Your _father_ on the other hand, now, he's a different story." He said putting his hand to his chin in an effort to look thoughtful. "I don't think he was overreacting. Any father in his position would not have done anything but report it to the police, but I am talking about Fujitaka Kinomoto here. He's about the touchiest guy when it comes to his wife and especially to his daughter-" he gave her a meaningful glance. "-or _daughters_, in one way or another. Even I myself can get confused with this Ying Fa business," he chuckled.

"Ying Fa?" Sakura gasped, her eyes widened. "I haven't – no, Ying Fa disappeared years ago –"

"-after I was deported – excuse me, _sent _home - to England, if I haven't forgotten," he scoffed, "but of course, no one can forget something like that. That sort of thing doesn't just happen to everyone,"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Her she was tied down to a chair, barely able to move an inch, and he was talking as if they were in a school reunion. "What 'sort of thing'?" she asked. "Daisuke, what does Ying Fa has to do with this?"

"When the situation includes you, it has to do with _everything_," Daisuke said, turning full circle with outspread arms. "You aren't even sure of by just _how_ much Ying Fa affects you, aren't you? Maybe you should see a psychiatrist about that, or has your father already gotten one for you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I don't have the right to answer that," the dark-haired boy said, making Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from shouting at him. She was pretty sure he was the one who had tied her up – who else would? – and he was saying he didn't have the right to answer a simple question? She tried to say something, but Daisuke cut her off. "You seem to be forgetting who has the upper hand here, dear Kinomoto. Right now, _I _am holding the strings to the puppets. Your father will just have to go along with the puppet-master."

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Where in the world has Sakura gone off to?" Tomoyo mumbled as she sat down on a chair beside the buffet table. There were still a lot of guests at the Li ballroom, but the Li themselves have begun to spread out from their tight social circle enough to be wandering about, casually chatting with guests.

Frustrated, she gritted her teeth and reached for her phone. She dialed Sakura's number and listened, expecting to hear her favorite cousin mumbling about how sorry she was. Instead, she was forced to listen to a long, echoing ring before someone picked it up. _Someone_, and not Sakura.

"Hello, Tomoyo. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" the deep, masculine voice answered. The voice let out a chuckle when Tomoyo gasped. "I reckon _you_ actually know why I was sent to England, don't you, little Madison Taylor?"

Tomoyo glared at no one in particular. Directing it at the phone when the caller couldn't see her seemed pointless. "Daisuke," she spat. "Uncle Fujitaka should've let you rot in jail for what you did,"

"Oh, but he might as well have," Daisuke answered with a strange hint of amusement. "My mother didn't like the idea of having one of her children suffer through that 'shame', as she called it. I couldn't care less. Besides, I've already done what I intended to do,"

"You are SICK, Daisuke!" Tomoyo said in a voice short of a shout. Any louder and the other guests might have gone suspicious. Apparently, at the mention of Sakura's old childhood friend, Touya and Fujitaka Kinomoto seemed to have developed an internal compass towards her.

Touya narrowed his eyes at Tomoyo, then at the phone, which he snatched away from Tomoyo's hands. "Who is this?" he asked, sharply.

A chuckle of dark mirth came from the phone. "Oh, hello, Touya. Do you want to talk to your sister? By the way she's struggling in that chair, I think she wants to say something, don't you, Sakura?"

"Daisuke, you –" a familiar feminine voice came through the speakers, and was drowned out by Daisuke's cold laughter.

Touya looked at his father, his face full of worry. Fujitaka nodded and looked at a pair of his bodyguards, who took out their phones and started making calls. Touya sighed, clenching his fists around the phone.

"That bastard!" Touya snapped. "First, mother, and now, Sakura. He should be dead!"

"I can still hear you, you know," Daisuke's voice drifted from the phone. "Though you shouldn't be blaming me for what happened to Sakura years ago. Of course, _that_ can be accounted to someone else, and if you want to get to Sakura, you need _him_,"

Tomoyo froze, and whispered, "Syaoran,"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Syaoran!"

Syaoran's eyes searched the room for the source of the voice, and found Tomoyo with a scared look on her face. Her long strides took her within a few feet of him in no time. Without missing a beat, she caught hold of his arm and pulled him toward the Kinomotos.

Touya immediately glared at Syaoran, who tried to keep his cool. "My father just traced the call to an estate near the beach." The message was meant for Tomoyo, but he never tore his gaze away from Syaoran. "This little Li might have something to do with it. You better bring him along as a snack,"

Syaoran gaped at him, and Tomoyo narrowed her eyes at Syaoran. "Touya, I don't know what _insanity_ overcame you that you could still joke at a time like this – I do hope you're only joking – but you need to be serious!" she screamed. "This is Sakura we're talking about, not one of those stupid little girls who always crowd around you every chance they have!"

"For your information, Tomoyo, I _do_ care about Sakura!" Touya shouted back. "Whatever notion you have in your mind that I don't care about her is nonsense! That Daisuke _bastard_ has her, and I will do _anything_ in my power to have him put in a sack full of stones and dropped into the bottom of the Pacific Ocean!"

"Well, I don't know, Touya, because it seems obvious that –"

"Will you two stop it?" Syaoran shouted, loud enough to shock the both of them. "What is this nonsense about Sakura in danger? I don't recall her even being here! Why don't you ask her sister Ying Fa for a change?"'

Touya visibly paled, and he shook Syaoran by the shoulders. "Take back what you said, brat! Ying Fa is not here! She never was! Take it back!"

Fujitaka pulled Touya away from the Li heir. "There's nothing we can do with this Ying Fa business, Touya. Right now, we need Sakura back,"

"Why would she be that important to you?" Syaoran asked. Touya would have lunged for his throat if his father had not stopped him.

"You! Of course she would be important to us!" he snarled. "She's my sister, for goodness's sake!"

Syaoran stared him wide-eyed. "You're – she's your –" he stammered, his hands trembling in realization. "Wait, no, that's impossible!"

"Hello, Tomoyo? I'm still here," the voice echoed out of the phone in Tomoyo's hands. "Now, is that Li brat listening? Oh well, it looks like you already found out where I am, so I guess we should just continue this conversation later,"

"Daisuke," Syaoran mumbled.

"Li-kun, we need to go," Tomoyo said, pulling him along. "Or else we'll be too late!"

**Xoxvidyaxox**

_ "I bet I can swim faster than those dolphins," Syaoran Li bragged as he looked over the railings of his family yacht. His own little group of bootlickers were crowded around him, hoping for the chance to be "friends" with the rich heir._

_ "Hello, Sakura?" Daisuke waved his hand in front of the girl's face. She was looking at Syaoran with an expression that seemed between "I want to push you over" and "So what?"_

_ Sakura shook her head and looked at Daisuke directly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice you, Daisuke," she said in a tone that was entirely too formal to belong to Sakura. "Now, what were we talking about?"_

_ "My mother asked to extend her condolences to you," he answered. If she was going to play at being at a business meeting, he might as well play along. "I'm sorry about your mother, Sakura-chan,"_

_ She nodded with a sad smile. "It wasn't your fault,"_

_ "You have no idea," Daisuke mumbled so Sakura couldn't hear. He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "It might be so, but I feel responsible for not being there the night of the murder,"_

_ "Does a person feel guilty about something he didn't know about?" Sakura asked. She stared off at Syaoran again. "Though, _that_ person needs to learn something called 'modesty'. He's been ranting about his pathetic yacht the whole da. That kind of attitude is unfit for someone who's going to rule over a company like Li Corps. His mother is going to have a fit if she finds out about-"  
>"The way you're talking, I'm starting to think you <em>ARE _his mother," Daisuke said, but his comment seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Sakura was trailing off again. He sighed and clapped his hands in front of her eyes. She shook her head and took a deep breath._

_ "What were we talking about again?" she asked, taking Daisuke by surprise._

_ "We were talking about Li's oversized ego," Daisuke told her amusedly. _

_ "Oh, right," Sakura said. She walked toward Li, with Daisuke following close behind. "Hello, Li, I was just going to as if you could _prove_ that you can swim faster than the dolphins. Is that alright?"_

_ "What are you –" Syaoran started to say, but before he could react, Sakura took him by the collar and threw him overboard. "Kinomoto, you are going to pay for this!"_

"Kinomoto, you are going to pay," Daisuke mumbled as he looked out the window of the room. "And Sakura will have to be the bait for my revenge,"

"Daisuke, what did my father ever do to you?" Sakura shouted at him. She was sitting in the corner, tied to a chair. It was only now that he regretted putting a gag in her mouth. "What did he ever do to make you act like this?"

Daisuke narrowed his eyes at her. "What did he do?" he repeated. "For one thing, he ruined my life! If he hadn't sent me to jail, I would be the heir to my family's company by now. Because of what he did, I can't even _see_ my parents for them to change their decision. What he did was unforgivable!"

"He…he sent you to jail?" Sakura said, shocked. "But – dad would never – he wouldn't – why?"

The boy smirked. "Why?" he mimicked Sakura mockingly. He took out a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and walked toward Sakura. "Oh, if you knew, you wouldn't be so kind, Sakura. Do you know why my parents forbade me to earn my rights to the company? They promised me that I would only get it if I could be married to a Kinomoto – get it? – married to you! Now, because your father had me imprisoned _and_ deported, what are the chances of that even happening?"

"What –" Sakura started to say, but Daisuke stuffed the handkerchief in her mouth.

"What did I do to deserve this? Oh, if your father hadn't decided to hate me at first sight, things would have been different. For one thing, your mother would still be alive!" he exclaimed with a maniacal laugh. "Oh, you should have heard her scream when I stuck that knife through her heart. Oh, it was the most beautiful sound I've heard!"

"No!" Sakura shouted, her voice muffled through the cloth.

**Xoxvidyaxox**

"Miss Yelan, there's an urgent phone call for you. It's Miss Fuutie,"

The aged lady nodded and took the phone from the servant's hands. "Hello, Fuutie. Is there a problem?"

"Yes!" came a forced voice. "It's Daisuke. He's back!"

Yelan cursed, almost throwing the phone away in irritation. "I thought I told Eriol to keep him in England." She said sharply into the phone. "What happened?"

There was a pause of hesitation. "Eriol never knew about Daisuke, mom. All he knows is that Daisuke is an old friend of Sakura's. Sakura _Kinomoto_."

"Fuutie, I don't know why Eriol doesn't know about his own family, but find out who kept him from doing so," she said in a rushed tone. "I'm starting to think this is more than just a family matter anymore."

**xoxvidyaxox**

_**Vidya**__: Well that was…weird. My original plot for this story was useless, and I just wanted to have an antagonist so much that I made the guy who was only supposed to make Syaoran jealous become…well, the bad guy. Oh, and the dolphin part, please refer it to chapter one, and there was another chapter with a flashback on that, I think. This version of the flashback is based on Daisuke's point of view, what he heard and what he saw. The previous one was Sakura's, I think. The differences have something to do with Ying Fa, Sakura, Daisuke and a whole bunch of other stuff._

_ Oh, and I promised this chapter would be much longer, but I don't think it's possible to create the same effect, and I would be getting the weird confusion, if I put everything in one long chapter, especially with all the tension I've been planning on the Li family (you haven't forgotten detective Fuutie, have you? She's really important!)_

_ Ying-Fa-Sakura explanation coming up in a few days! Please review and tell me what you think about the outrage Daisuke!_


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